Both Sides of Time
by AznDangster
Summary: When Rogue meets a mutant named Temponaut, she's offered a chance to go back and help change Logan's past, even though when she goes back she falls harder for a mutant named Gambit. But, Temponaut has a sinister plot,and Rogue's nothing but a pawn. R
1. Rogue

This is a Remy/Marie Rogue/Gambit Fanfic XD

I own nothing but the story ideas. I am really just a big fan :D

*Takes place after X1*

"It wasn't a secret that Rogue had a huge crush on Logan. So, is it any wonder that after absorbing his thoughts and his memories, she can't help but feel as if she needs to help him fix his past? She meets a mutant named Temponaut, whose has the ability to control and manipulate time. Temponaut offers his help to Rogue, telling her he'll give her as many chances as she wanted to go back and change Logan's past. But, every time she goes back, she meets a man who calls himself Gambit. And every time, she finds herself falling for him more and more. But, Temponaut has a sinister plot and Rogue is nothing more but a pawn in his game. What's going to happen now…and why, when every time she goes back to the future, she finds no trace of Gambit in her time?"

**Both Sides of Time**

There were so many different nightmares, it was difficult distinguishing which one was which. They blended together sometimes. Other times, she could separate some of them. It was always about _him_.

Logan.

Nightmares were repeated over and over and ever since she'd absorbed him, that's all that she dreamed about. It was either about the experimentation or about his life after. His life with the X-men and Jean.

To say she was jealous of the redhead would've been stating the obvious, especially since Logan had left and both women seemed to be pining for him. She wondered what Professor Summers thought about his fiancé wanting to bang Logan? She wondered if he even noticed.

She kept her eyes closed, remnants of the nightmare still flashing underneath her eyelids. She stretched in the bed slightly, moving limbs and muscles that ached. Next time her and Bobby sparred, she promised herself she was going to get him back. She used his pathetic break-up from her as an excuse to why she was hitting him so hard. Call it first-love's pain or something. She scoffed. She wasn't in love with Bobby, good god, but she'll let everyone else think so. It would make him look like the bad guy in this scenario, especially since he'd broken up with her to go after that new mutant…what was her name? Jubilee?

She rolled around in bed, the images from the last nightmare fading as she opened her whiskey-colored eyes to the weak light filtering through the shaded window. She laid in bed for a while, gathering her thoughts, until Logan's heightened senses smelled someone standing outside the door. She shifted, sliding off the bed as she pulled up the sleeves of her pajamas. She stepped over to the mirror, wincing when she saw darker circles under her eyes. Had she lost weight? She hadn't noticed. She reached out, picking up the foundation as she tried to hide the toll the nightmares were beginning to take on her.

When the knock on the door came, she'd changed out of her sleeping clothes and was tugging on the silk gloves she always kept by her sides. "Coming!" She yelled, tightening her left glove as she readjusted the green long-sleeved turtleneck.

She opened the door and only let out a small yelp as Kitty's small body hurled into hers. "Oh. My. GOD! Can you believe freakin' Jubilee?" Kitty asked, releasing Rogue as she did so. Rogue only smiled as the small body vibrated with fury. Kitty continued deeper into Rogue's room and jumped on her bed, crossing her legs as she got comfortable.

"So, like, I was talking to Jubilee and she was all…" Kitty drawled on, her voice comforting as Rogue continued to try and forget the dream. She stared at the small child, a friend in Rogue's twisted life. A rare friend. While other mutants were afraid to touch her, Kitty embraced it…literally. Never afraid of what might happen to her, Kitty always touched Rogue, either a small touch on her arm or a hard hug. The child was like a wind-up toy that never lost juice. Even though Rogue hadn't been exactly cordial the first time they met, Kitty had pushed on and now, Rogue was glad she had.

"…and Jubilee definitely looks like a freak with her new hair. Did I tell you? She got it died blonde! Haha, she said that Bobby liked blondes better." Kitty finished, snorting as she glanced up at Rogue. The smile faded from her lips as Kitty continued staring at the taller mutant.

At first glance, no one would ever assume Rogue was her best friend. Sure, Kitty had a lot of friends in the mansion, but the quiet recently-solemn Rogue was the only one Kitty actually considered a _best_ friend. Most people would ignore Kitty when she went on one of her famous rants or even went as far as to tell her to shut up when she was talking too much. But, Rogue was different. Rogue had the ability to sit and listen to people as they vented their problems and even offered good advice most times. Kitty always wondered if Rogue ever notice she'd been crushin' hard on her ex, and she always wondered if Rogue cared that she had been crushin' on him. If she had, Rogue didn't hold it against her and Kitty was grateful. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost Rogue as a friend.

Kitty now contemplated the older girl and saw the dark circles Rogue had so desperately tried to hide. "Nightmares again?" Kitty asked and saw the flash of surprise that crossed Rogue's face. "Come on, Rogue, I was the one who showed you the trick." Kitty said, standing up from the bed as she grabbed the foundation. She walked quickly over to Rogue and had to stand on her toes to reach her eyes. "You didn't put enough on." Kitty mumbled, adding more as she rubbed it in.

The only ones to know about the nightmares were Kitty and the Professor. The Professor because…well, you couldn't keep anything from him and Kitty because Rogue had to tell someone or she would go slowly insane. She kept her mouth closed as Kitty continued to hide the circles, cursing and telling herself next time to be more careful.

"Did the Professor say anything about the nightmares and them being linked to Logan?" Kitty asked, using her thumb to rub in the make-up more.

"He said I was just experiencing post-traumatic stress. The dreams and stuff should go away in a couple of weeks."

"Of course you're experiencing stress! That dunce Magneto…"

Rogue only smiled and rolled her eyes as Kitty continued on another tirade.

"Kitty, it's ok." Rogue muttered, placing her hands on top of Kitty's as they vibrated with fury. Kitty nodded once, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She took another before she spoke. "I just wished I'd been there so that I could-grr-argh!" Rogue smiled wider this time when Kitty brought her hands together around Imaginary Magneto's throat and rung it.

"Kitty-"

"Am I missing something?" A deep voice asked from her doorway. Kitty's eyes widened as she dropped her hands.

Rogue's hand came slowly up to finger the dog tags that were resting near her heart as she turned.

Logan leaned on her doorjamb and smiled softly. "Hey kid."

* * *

And so, this Romy story begins :D I understand that a lot of the characters aren't really like themselves. Unfortunately, as much as i love the interesting character that Rogue is, it's understandable that in every story i write, i can't really have the same Rogue over and over again or else you guys would get really really bored :( Plus, i really don't like writing the same Rogue every single time cause then i get bored. I try and keep some of the same traits, and sometimes in my mind i do mesh every different interpretation of Rogue that i've seen.

The dynamics of between the characters vary with every story, two of the same people can love each other in one story and hate each other in another one. I think it's cool to have such varying different personalities. As for Kitty, i must say, while i was writing this Evo Kitty jumped up in my mind XD


	2. Logan

She fingered the dog tags as she stared at him out the window. The familiar smoke flowing from the never-ending cigar in his hand was visible in the cold air of winter and even from her perch behind the window, she could smell it's faint scent.

How many times had she sat at the same window and wished for his return? It felt like she had spent her whole life there, just wishing to hear the unmistakable sound of the motorcycle engine as it sped of the driveway. Wishing she could see the funny brown hair or even hear one of his grunts as he answered someone speaking to him from the mansion. Wishing she could see the smile that was reserved just for her.

Now that he was actually back, she felt the weight on her chest lift significantly. Now that he was back, she wondered what would change. She'd already noticed a lighter step to Jean's walk and it irked her that no one else seemed to notice. She wanted to rip that ring off the redhead's fingers and shove it down her hypocritical throat. Jean had said greeted Logan with Scott at her side, holding Scott's hand but leaning towards the older man.

Rogue scoffed.

Sometimes, she was too observant.

But, when it came to Logan, it was difficult not to be, especially with her feelings towards the man. He was usually gone for a month and then came back for two. She had his time table tattooed on her heart. She knew when he was coming back and usually what he was doing every time he did so. Sometimes, Professor X could haggle him into teaching a class for a couple of months, but never really laid too much on it since Logan would up and go sometimes.

But, he always came back. She reached up to touch the tags lightly, her heartbeat close to the cold metal. Yeah, he always came back.

She turned away, leaving the beast to his cigar as she strolled out of the room.

"She lives."

Rogue rolled her eyes before turning, facing the newly blonde-haired Jubilee. "Jubilation." Rogue said, nodding curtly towards the mutant. Jubilee smirked, throwing her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. "What do you think?" She asked, raising her eyes towards her hair before glancing back at Rogue.

Rogue craned her head to the side. "It doesn't really suit you now does it?" she said slightly, only taking a small amount of pleasure when Jubilee bristled. "Bobby like it!" the teenager said, smirking. "Well, that's good for Bobby then." Rogue said, having the exact reaction Jubilee had been hoping for. She smirked once more. "He's a really good kisser, you know."

"Actually, I wouldn't."

"Oh, that's right. You wouldn't." Jubilee left it at that, turning on her heel and sauntering away as she cackled.

Ok, cackled was the wrong word, but Rogue was willing to go with it so that she could lighten her foul mood.

"You're going to become miserable if you let her get to you like that, kid." Logan's voice said and she jumped at the surprise. She turned, smiling automatically when she saw his face. He smiled back that secret smile and she felt her heart stutter.

"she doesn't get to me." Rogue said, trying to scoff. She failed miserably when Logan just raised an eyebrow. "that much." she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I heard Popsicle had dumped ya." he said absently, reaching for a cigar until he remembered Charles's warning. He chuckled, dropping his hand as he stared at the white streaked girl. He saw the sudden flash of sadness and cursed himself.

"I say he lost something mighty special." Logan said quickly and smiled once more. She grinned back, slapping him on the shoulder. "Yeah, I think so too." she muttered and he saw the Rogue he knew once more.

It was odd, the feelings he had for the "skunk." He'd never had a little sister before, but he assumed it was something similar to this. The feelings of protection when he was near her, and the feelings of loss whenever he left. He hadn't ask for his dog tags back. Partially because he usually forgot to, but mostly because he felt safe knowing she had a part of him with her.

He chuckled.

Part of him to protect her with.

"So, what you up to these days? Or is the X-men not as fun as you thought it would be?" he asked as he began walking. He watched her out of the corner of his eyes and saw the immediate twitch of a smile. "Professor says I am a natural.""In fighting?" he asked and she nodded. "Said I was a fast learner."

"Well, duh. You did learn from the best." Logan said, fingering the spot of the last bruise she had placed on his body. It had healed quickly, probably only a minute at most, but he remembered the force behind the kick. He remembered the power behind it.

"You didn't get in trouble for teaching me, right?" she asked, glancing back over at him as she took the first step down. Logan shrugged. "Not really." he answered, when in truth he had yet to still tell Charles about it. He waved it away. "Charles was cool with it. Said he wanted you to learn to defend yourself." ok, that hadn't been a _complete_ lie.

She nodded, her hand reaching out to grab the railing as she continued to make her way down. "Yeah, I wanted to learn to defend myself too."

None of them said the reason out loud, but they both knew why. Rogue's hair was a constant reminder to both of them about how close she had been to death.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, remembering the reason he had left this time. He shook his head. "Nothing, but I am sure Charles will find something when he searches through my mind."

"You don't find that as an invasion of privacy?" she asked and watched as he shrugged. "If he's doing it to help me, then I'll sacrifice everything I have."

"You really wanna know about your past? Isn't the saying 'look towards the future, because the past only shaped who you are, not who you'll become'?"

He sent her a look. "I want to find out everything I can about my past. I don't know what made me what I am." he whispered the last part and she nodded slightly, reaching the end of the staircase. She turned to look at him as he stood at the second to last step. "well, if you need any help, I'm here." she said earnestly, barely being able to restrain the plea in her voice. He smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

She nodded and ignored her heavily beating heart as she pushed forward. "Logan, if you're not busy-" She stopped when he sent her that heart-stopping smile. "Well," he started and she thought she would faint from the tone in his voice. How could one word hold so much sensuality in it.

She took a step forward and grabbed the railing. "well, good, cause I was wondering…" she trailed off when she noticed that his gaze wasn't on her, but something over her shoulder. She turned slightly and saw the unmistakable red hair before she saw the body.

She felt her self-esteem drop significantly and fumbled with her words when he continued looking over her shoulder. "Logan?" she asked and felt her heart drop when he didn't answer. "Logan." she said again, this time with a bit more force. When he continued not to answer, she reached out a punched him on the shoulder. "Logan!"

He blinked for the first time in a minute and glanced down at her. "What?" he growled and she stepped back in surprise. He had never done that to her. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Jean had stopped to talk to Scott. The smile on Scott's face was familiar, because it was the same one that had been on her own moments before.

She felt her heart snap a little, and turned back around to stare at the other older man.

His eyes were on Jean once more, that smile that was only reserved for her was on his face. She doubted that anything would break his stare this time, short of her taking off her gloves and touching his face.

"Nevermind, just…forget it." she muttered, walking away. Logan shook his head and turned towards her retreating figure. "Rogue."

She didn't answer, just kept walking.

"Hey! Where you going?" he asked, and even 20 feet away she could hear the hitch in his voice that Jean's presence had brought.

"out!" she shouted as she continued walking, hoping he'd stop her and ask her what's wrong. She reached the door and turned, still hoping. When she saw that Jean was now at his side, and he'd forgotten all about her, she turned and opened the door. She walked out, slamming it shut against the pain.

* * *

gah! hmm, not exactly where i wanted to go with it, but i'll roll with it. it helps my story much better actually XD

i went through and found as many typos as i could (cause hey, i hate finding them when i read other stories too) if i miss some, i am sorry ^^

R&R


	3. Temponaut

She squinted against the glare of the sun as she lifted her head, using her hand to shade her eyes. She turned, not recognizing the road she's been walking down, but only recognizing the pain in her chest. She rubbed at it gently while she tried to collect her bearings. It would be a lot easier to be pissed at Logan, but she only felt a hollowness in her own stomach.

She could never be angry with Logan.

Her feelings were a burden to her, and she hated that he could have so much power over how her day could go. One word from him and she could be soaring, but, one action that broke her heart could ruin her whole day.

She continued to walk, not concerned with her surroundings anymore and more concerned with just getting away.

"You know…" she trailed off, glancing around her so that she could confirm she was alone. When she saw no one, she continued. "You know, Rogue, you're pathetic."

She chuckled to herself. At least she'd finally be able to admit it to herself.

She tightened the jacket around her body to chase off the cold winter bite before she continued her conversation to herself.

"every time he comes back, it's the same way. You pine after him, and you watch as he slowly falls more in love with Ms. Perfect. Ahh, no, _Mrs._ Perfect. Gotta remember that."

She pulled the white strands out of her face, boots clicking on the grounds as she resumed.

"You believe he'd give up on Jean and come back to you, to the person who truly loves him, but, no. He continues to throw himself at her feet, and she continues to toy with him. And he doesn't even see that."

She stopped, realizing she was describing her own relationship with the older man. She scoffed, waving it away. Her relationship with Logan and his relationship with Jean were two completely different things.

She rubbed at her temples, sighing as she took a seat on a nearby bench. She raised her face to the gray sky and tried to feel the warmth of the sun that was shining weakly.

"What does he see in her anyways? It's not like she's any different than the rest of us at the mansion." Rogue muttered, but denied it in her mind even as she was saying it out loud. Jean was something special, most girls were just to jealous to acknowledge it. "And you my friend, are jumping on that bandwagon." She muttered to herself, yawning slightly.

How much sleep had she gotten the other night? Four…five hours max? The nightmares were taking a toll on her body. She smirked. Nightmares that weren't even her own.

She yawned once more and turned to lie down. She used her arm as a pillow, shifting comfortably to accommodate her tall frame. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest a little bit. She wasn't going to freeze to death, it wasn't cold enough for that. With the chill barely starting to creep in, it was only cold enough to be a bit uncomfortable. She just wanted to enjoy the winter air. And, she wanted to kill time before she would have to go back into the mansion and face Logan and his perfect Jean.

She closed her eyes, letting the sounds of nature around her lull her to quiet, blissful oblivion.

In mere minutes, she was fast asleep.

X

"Help!"

She jerked her eyes open, her body springing into immediate action as she scrambled off the bench. When her fuzzy mind focused, sleep fading, she realized there was nothing and no one there. She turned slowly, her jacket falling open as she tried to place the source of the scream.

She knew it had been real. Regardless of whether she was asleep or not, the scream had been real. "Hey!" she shouted, waiting for an answer. When she heard, nor saw anything, she turned to head back to the mansion.

"Help!"

This time, Rogue _knew_ it was real. She turned, zeroing on the spot where she thought the voice had come from. She started running, throwing off the green hood that got in her way as it flapped in the wind. She jumped, nearly falling face first into ice before she caught herself. She slipped and slid only slightly, regaining balance as she continued running.

"Hey! Where are you!" she yelled, stopping to catch her breath.

"H-h-help! Help me!"

She turned towards the voice, the voice that was now screaming from where she had just been. She took a step towards the bench that was now 20 feet away, before she heard a rustle in the bush. She reached in, hands wrapping around a jacket before she tugged, pulling a small figure out.

He was definitely small. His head was bald, whatever remaining hair that was still there was a dark brown. A mustache covered his face, wrinkles evident around his eyes and mouth. He cackled and she shook him. He coughed violently, and she held him out at arms length, avoiding the spit as it came out of his mouth.

When it seemed like he had calmed down a bit, she shook him once more. "S-S-Stop s-s-s-shaking m-m-me!" he yelled, gripping her arms. She shook him once more for good measure before she brought his small face towards her. "Where are they!" She yelled.

"What?" he asked and she heard his teeth chatter when she shook him again. "I-I-I s-said s-s-s-s-stop doing th-th-that!" he yelled and she took a step back as something pushed into her. She stumbled, releasing him as she fell back. She immediately reached to take off a glove but faltered when the short man began tsking.

"That's completely unnecessary, Rogue. I was just having fun, that's all. Besides, I am here to help you."

"How the hell do you know my name?" she asked, scrambling to her feet. She slipped a bit and reached out to steady herself. "I know quite a bit about you, Rogue." the man said and she sent him a glare.

"Are you one of Magneto's lackeys? Coming back to finish the job?" She threw the white strands out of her face, trying to make a point.

The short man rolled his grey eyes. "Mag…who? Nevermind about that. My name is Temponaut-"

"Never heard of you." she muttered, turning around, away from him.

"Now, wait, wait, wait! Aren't you curious about me?" he yelled as she began walking away. She waved a hand over her shoulder, too tired to deal with crazy old men and their disillusioned mind.

"Don't you want to be able to help Logan!" he yelled and she stopped immediately. She turned to stare at him and gaped at the empty spot he had just occupied. She reached up and slipped off a glove, taking the man a bit more seriously than she had before. "I told you already, that won't be necessary." something whispered in her ear and she turned, reaching out with her hand already.

She let out a grunt when he grabbed her arm, the sleeve of her coat stopping skin to skin contact. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, eyeing the tall man warily.

"I told you, I am Temponaut."

She scoffed. "I am losing my mind…" she whispered, trying to tug her arm out. When his grip remained strong she lifted her hazel eyes to meet the gray. "Temponaut, you said?" she asked and he nodded.

She let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll bite. What do you want?" she asked. When he didn't immediately answer, she let out a growl. "I'll give you 10 seconds to explain yourself-"

"Or?" he asked and she growled one more.

"Or…" she trailed off when she watched his features change, the young, handsome face morphing into a young child's, probably no older than herself. The eyes remained the same though, the clear, ageless gray. The gawky body was shorter than hers, the young man who was there before disappeared to be replaced by a teenager.

"You see, when you give me a time limit, well…I'm not really threatened." he commented, his voice high and squeaky. The hand wrapped around her arm was now weak and she pulled out of it easily enough. "Temponaut…Tempo, as in "time" and naut as "traveler"." she said slowly, eyeing him warily. The teenager shrugged. "Not an original name, I know, but I thought it was fitting for my mutation."

"You can…control time?" she asked and watched as he winced. "Well, 'control' is a strong word. I can more or less travel in it."

She watched again as he changed, the features filling out as the body grew taller. A man stood in front of her, the hair thicker and darker. The voice deeper when he spoke. But, his eyes were still him.

"What do you want with me?" she asked after a moment spent just staring at each other.

"I want to help you." he responded, sliding his hands inside his pants pockets as he rocked back and forth. "help…me?" she asked.

He nodded, taking out a small watch from the pocket.

"What can a time traveler help me with?" she asked, suspicious. He leaned in and she felt his warmth breath slide across her cheek as he whispered, "I can help you with Logan."

She didn't take her eyes off of him he leaned forward, still looking at her with those calm eyes of his. She glanced down at the hand he had grabbed, bringing the watch up so it shined in the sun. She glanced back at him. "How do you know about that? About Logan?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped and cocked his head to side. "Well, I don't have much time to answer that. But, all I can say is if you're interested, all you have to do is call out for me."

"what are you talking about-"

"until we meet again, Rogue." he said softly and smiled.

_"Rogue!"_

She felt herself fading, the scenery around her changing, become blurry and fuzzy. "hey, wait!" she yelled, trying to keep Temponaut in focus.

_"Rogue!"_

"Remember, just call out for me." he screamed, but it came into her ear as a whisper. The last thing she saw was his smile.

X

She opened her eyes with a gasp, the cold winter wind biting her numb cheeks. "Rogue!" someone shouted again and she closed her eyes, blinking away sleep as she tried to clear her fuzzy mind.

"Rogue!"

"yeah!" she managed to scream as she sat up, dusting the light layer of snow off of her green jacket. She turned and saw Kitty on the trail, the small figure's coat smacking into her as she walked. "Oh, there you are!" Kitty screamed as she began running over to her.

Rogue looked around, confused for a moment. Had she not been over there by the bush instead of the bench?

Kitty reached her and sighed with relief. "We thought you got lost!" She laughed slightly.

"How long have I been out here?" Rogue asked, shaking snow softly off of her head. Kitty shrugged. "A couple of hours? Professor Summers sent me out here to look for you. Wanted all of us to be ready for dinner."

Rogue nodded, standing up from the bench.

So, everything that had happened with Temponaut had been a dream. She smiled slightly. A mutant that could control time. She should've figured one like that wouldn't have existed. Such a strong power…nah.

"Come on, before they all think we both got lost!" Kitty shouted, laughing. Rogue smiled back, making her way over to the young girl. Kitty's eyes trailed down Rogue's arm to her hand. "hey! Put back on your glove. You don't wanna lose your fingers to frostbite! What is that you're holding?" Kitty asked, picking up Rogue's gloved hand. "Is that…"

"a watch." Rogue said, drawing her brows together in confusion. "It's a pretty watch." Kitty said, handing it back to the older mutant. "yeah." Rogue muttered, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Well, come on!" Kitty yelled, grabbing Rogue's arm as she starting running back towards the mansion. Rogue slipped the watch inside her coat pocket, following Kitty even as she thought about Temponaut.

* * *

ahh, back to writing. it feels so good :D

for all of you who have never read any of my fictions before, i try and update once a day or every other day. it's never really been more than that before i update. unfortunately, i just recently permanantly moved out of my home for college and i was severely homesick. Writing reminded me too much of home so i didn't want to be reminded of home too much just yet. I am back at it though, and amazingly it has helped me get over the sickness alot :D

so, i am back in the swing of things and updating regularly :'D

R&R!


	4. Jean

She held the small watch the entire time during dinner. It was one of those old watches, hanging by a chain and one that she had to twist or push the knob on top for the face to click open. She clicked it open and shut randomly, her hands working the small object every minute.

It wasn't possible.

Everything she has experienced had to have been a dream. There was no way a person could control time. The power itself was too strong, and to think that someone could be that strong…well, it was terrifying. What could someone with that type of power do to the rest of them? Imagine, forever running in a time loop, doing the same thing every day without even realizing it all because someone _could_ do it. How…scary.

She twisted the chain around her finger, eyes unblinking as she continued to think.

Even if he wasn't real, he had been cute. Well, not the first apparition he had showed himself as, but the second one. The one that, for some odd reason, she was sure was his real age. He had been an old man, then a teenager, then a gawky teenager and then an adult. The adult and the man had scared her, but the teenagers he had portrayed had been familiar to her. Probably because she herself had been an awkward teenager, and even now, at 18, she was still somewhat awkward. Especially with her mutation.

She shook her head, trying to dig herself out of her own thoughts.

He hadn't been real. She shouldn't waste time thinking about him.

Although…

"…lling Rogue. Calling Rogue." Kitty whispered furiously, elbowing the older mutant gently in the side. Rogue blinked, shaking her head slightly as she turned it towards Kitty. "What?" She asked softly and Kitty rolled her eyes. "Logan has been trying to get your attention for the last minute." she whispered and Rogue looked up quickly, embarrassed.

"Sorry!" she said hurriedly when she saw the familiar quirk of his eyebrow. "I was, uh, digesting…something." She finished lamely.

Well, it hadn't been a _complete_ lie.

When he just continued staring at her, those brown eyes unwavering, she began fidgeting ever so slightly. He finally spoke after a moment. "Did you hear what I said earlier?" he asked and she considered nodding her head yes. Considering that Logan had the eerie ability to read her like a book, she opted out of lying.

"No." she answered after a minute, going back to playing with the watch underneath the table. She heard him let out a sigh and glanced up to see him smiling. That secret smile that was just for her. She felt her heart lift a little, but didn't show it on her face. She hadn't forgotten his actions this morning, and she wasn't prepared to forgive him just yet. Instead, she let her face remain impassive and instead stared at him with wide eyes.

His smile dropped slightly and instead he asked again, "I asked if you wanted to train later?"

Her earlier attempt at hiding her smile failed and she pounced on the chance to spend more time with Logan. She nodded her head enthusiastically, smiling broadly, and felt her heart give another stutter. Logan nodded, glancing over at Scott as he continued to speak, "she said she's a go."

Rogue looked over at Scott, confused for a moment, until Kitty tugged softly on her sleeve. She glanced down at her arm before she glanced up at Kitty. "What?" she asked again and Kitty winced, afraid to deliver the bad news. "We were all invited. You just didn't do anything to confirm it, so Logan asked you instead."

Rogue's smile twitched a bit, and she nodded her head enthusiastically once more. "I know," she lied, "I was psyched to train with everyone again!"

"Mhm…" Kitty mumbled, her hand dropping from Rogue's arm.

Rogue kept her eyes on her plate, refusing to allow the red blush to stain her cheeks. She was such an idiot. Of course, Logan would never ask her to train alone. That was just stupid of her to assume. Sure, they had been training off and on for the past couple of months ever since Magneto and his goons have been after her, but, still…

She slapped the watch shut, once again wishing Logan would just look at her as more than his damn little sister. She knew him better than anyone else in this mansion did. She made him smile all the time and she was constantly only looking out for him! What did Jean ever do for him? She taunted him, waving her little body in front of him even though she was engaged to Scott. And he ran after her like a wounded puppy every time.

She hissed when she pushed the button, the watch refusing to open. She grunted as she tried to pry it open, working her finger in-between the clasp. She glanced under the table, glaring at the small object. She let out a gasp when it started to burn her hand, the metal hot and cold as the same time. She let go of the watch with a jerk, pressing her cold hand against her burning one as she heard the watch land with a dull thud.

"You ok?" Bobby asked from the other side of the table, his blues eyes watching her curiously.

She glanced out from underneath the table.

"I'm fine." she answered quickly, placing her foot over the watch so that no one looking under the table could see it.

"I'm perfectly fine."

X

"This is boring." Kitty said lazily, slanting a look over to Piotr. The large man shrugged, moving his metal-covered shoulders slightly as he slanted a look back.

"Don't look at me. I didn't come up with the training regime." he mumbled, shuddering a bit as he reigned in the metal.

"Well, whoever made it up must've been asleep when they did it." Kitty said under her breath, eyeing Scott as he stood a little ways from them. Rogue laid on the ground, staring at the danger room ceiling as she yawned. "Scott said it was for the newer members." She lifted her body up a bit, looking at the younger mutants in between her toes.

Some were shuffling their feet, others were dangerously close to falling asleep. The only thing probably stopping them was the distant fear of missing out on some sort of action.

She laid back down with a grunt. "Although, even they look bored out of their minds." she commented lightly, tracing the patterns in the ceiling.

They heard Scott let out a shout, his voice low but nowhere near mild. She heard Piotr chuckle. "It looks like a kid just fell asleep."

"Just because you were one of the idiots that fell asleep last year doesn't mean you get to make fun of them." Kitty muttered under her breath, only squealing slightly when Piotr lunged for her.

Rogue found the scene too touching, making smooching sounds as Kitty fell back onto the ground with a thud, Piotr smiling as he stood over her. "Oh, shut it, Rogue." She said, curling her lip.

Scott let out another shout and this time is was Rogue who chuckled. "They never learn their lesson." She said lightly, going back to tracing the patterns in the ceiling as she waited for Scott to call them all over.

"I thought Logan was going to train us?" Rogue asked.

"Said he had to change his plans last minute." Kitty answered, rubbing her sore butt.

Piotr sent Kitty a look. "How did you know that? Stalking?" Piotr asked, and Rogue only noticed the slightest hint of jealously. "No," Kitty began, sticking out her small tongue at Piotr, "He was telling a bunch of us when he was leaving the room. Said the Professor needed him."

"The Professor?" Rogue asked. That was odd, The Professor had told her that he would be working with Cerebro all night.

That he didn't want to be disturbed.

"I just don't understand what the Professor has left to say to Logan. I am sure they haven't found anything new at the lake, right?" Kitty asked, tightening the zipper at the neck of her suit, as she too stood. "Maybe Jean found out something." Piotr said lightly, turning his neck as he stretched it.

"Jean?" Rogue asked, turning around slightly as she stared at the large man over her shoulder. Piotr nodded. "Jean has been doing some studying herself. Said she was looking for more information into his past. You know, the whole '3-minds-better-than-two thing'. Although, I guess with Jean and the Professor it would be an infinite amount of minds-"

"Hush, Piotr." Kitty warned. But, Rogue has already turned around fully, eyeing the large man. "How do you know Jean is with them?" Rogue asked, feeling her stomach drop and her heart sink as Piotr answered.

"I saw her leave right after Logan left."

* * *

T-T


	5. First Trip Through

She wondered if Scott ever wondered where Jean was when Logan wasn't around?

She'd known about the affair for a while now. Every time Logan came back, him and Jean jumped in the sack a couple of times before he took off again. And every single time, both women ended up being depressed and miserable for a couple of weeks. At least Logan and Jean had waited a full day before doing it.

Then again, maybe Scott did know and was just denying what was right in front of him. God knew, Rogue did the same thing. Every time Logan came back, she had hoped for something different. And, every time she had been completely disappointed.

She shifted in front of the mirror, pulling the back of her pajama top as she tried to find something resembling breasts. She sucked her small stomach in, standing straighter as she checked herself in the mirror from head to toe. Giving up, she let out the breath, allowing the pajama top to sag once more as she turned to crawl towards the bed. Sure, she was no Jean Grey, but damnit if she didn't see herself as somewhat pretty.

She picked up the watch at the end of the bed, trying one more time to open it. When the attempt turned out to be unsuccessful, just like it had been all night, she brought it up to eye level. "Why aren't you opening?" she asked it, only allowing herself mild embarrassment as the realization that she was talking to an inanimate object dawned on her. She shook her head, placing the watch on the corner of the desk and she got ready to slide into bed.

She pulled the blanket back, burying herself under the covers as she let out a sigh. She reached out, turned off the lamp and allowed the room to be bathed in darkness as she shifted back more under the covers. She let out another sigh, turning to stare out the large window that separated her from the balcony. The moon's light shone through weakly, the full moon blocked out by her covers. In the silence of the night, she heard almost everything. Someone banging down in the kitchen. Kids screaming as the game room was put to good use. The winds as it whistled through the trees. She let the sounds lull her to sleep, eyes closing gently.

It was the creak outside that had her opening her eyes once more. The curtains were billowing, moonlight hitting her eyes every few seconds. Had she left the balcony doors open? She didn't remember doing that. She was too tired to get up and close it, so she just close her eyes once more.

Creak.

Stomp.

"Ouch."

She opened her eyes once more and this time could make out a shadowy figure on the other side of the curtains. She blinked, trying to focus on the object, clearing sleep from her eyes.

"Hello?" She asked, moving slightly. When the shadow didn't answer, she shrugged, too tired to do anything but turn around.

"Damn."

She turned back around, knowing that this time she had definitely heard something. She flipped the blanket off, swinging her feet over the edge as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hey!" she yelled, jumping off a bit as she began to make her way over to the window. Probably one of the younger students trying to scare her. She never understood why they thought it was funny-

"Holy shit!" she yelled, jumping back when she reached the window pane. The curtain had been covering his face, but now as she ventured closer, the wind moved it perfectly so that the handsome face only flashed every so often. He was leaning on the balcony railing, arms crossed as he watched her.

Well, the windows were definitely open.

"You going to talk to me or just let me freeze out here all night?" Temponaut asked, even though she didn't notice a single shiver wrack his body, regardless of the fact that it was the beginning of winter. She turned, reaching inside her closet for the green jacket. She threw it over her shoulder, slipping her slim arms in it as she tied it around her waste. She slid the balcony doors open wider, stepping out onto the cold cement as she watched him warily.

He returned her gold gaze with his grey one, the same stare that reminded her of the snowy skies outside. Even now, snow fell lazily, in no hurry to reach in the floor, taking all the time in the world.

Time.

"You're…real?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself as she fought for warmth. Temponaut let out a chuckle, pining her with his gaze. "As real as I can get." he answered, his smile lethal. She wondered why he chose to appear in this form? He couldn't have been older than 20, and yet she got the aura of ageless wisdom. But, why this age…?

"You're here to talk to me?" She asked and he rolled his eyes as she answered her, "Obviously."

"How'd you get past the security on the grounds? Even I-"

"I have a special talent." he whispered, and his voice held a tone that said the subject had been dropped.

She placed one foot over the other, trying to retain warmth, before she spoke again. "Am I dreaming?" She asked and watched as he shrugged his broad shoulders. "It depends on how you see things. The dream world can be reality and reality be the dream world. I can be a figment of your imagination or I can be a real man. It all really boils down to you." he answered.

"Way to circumscribe the answer." She muttered, stepping out further. The wind bit at her more, but she sacrificed warmth for the ability to see this man clearer. The moon did something to his presence, and she found herself slightly mesmerized.

"I am as real to you as you are to me." he said, smiling.

"Right." she said. It was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Why me?" she asked and for the first time he looked confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Why decide to help me?"

She watched as he shrugged, and she refused to allow him to answer her in that way. "seriously, why?"

"You and me, Rogue….we're not so different. No past, stuck in the present where we can't get close to anyone, future seems incomprehensible-"

"So says the guy that can control time." She interrupted, letting just a hint of sarcasm enter her voice. Instead of being offended, he let out a laugh. "I told you, I can't control time. I can only travel through it."

"Same thing."

"Nah," he began, shaking his head, "it isn't."

"So, you're helping me because…?"

I sympathize with you. Plus, you're the only mutant around that can help me." he finally answered, looking her dead in the eyes.

"help…you?" she asked and he nodded. "You are a lot more special than you realize…" he trailed off, cocking his head to the side once more. She recognized the gesture and reached out to wrap a bare hand around his arm. She watched with wide eyes as he began shifting, changing as the balcony scene began to blur.

"Oh no you don't! Don't you dare-"

"If you need me, Cherie, just call." He murmured, leaning in to touch his lips softly to her cheek.

She would've rather stayed in the dream with Temponaut if she had known what was going to come next.

She saw the green liquid first, feeling the fear and dread that curled deep within her stomach as the nightmare began.

Tubes…so many tubes.

Needles…poking and probing as she began struggling.

"Tie him down, damnit!" a voice yelled, and she saw a dark face loom over hers.

Men in masks were talking, one was laughing while another one seemed to be frowning.

Pain….

So much pain…

Too much pain!

She lashed out, things spilling as the metal claws brushed up against the table…

Metal?

There was more pain, and somewhere along the way the green liquid came back.

She woke up screaming, the watch on her nightstand clicking open with a sigh.

X

"Rogue, are you alright?" Professor Summers asked, raising an eyebrow when she jerked upright in her seat. She tried to pretend she hadn't been caught sleeping, instead nodding slightly when he asked her if she had heard the lecture. He contemplated pursuing the matter, but only turned back towards the board as he continued.

Rogue placed a hand over her mouth, stifling yet another yawn.

She had fallen asleep in 4 out of her 5 classes today and that was only because with Professor Xavier, it was impossible to fall asleep. She blamed the nightmares, shuddering once more as she relived some of the parts. Even now, she could still feel the metal as it pieced through her skin, the claws extending out dangerously.

She yawned again, letting out a small prayer when the bell rang overhead. Packing all her things away, she already started making a mental calendar of what she was going to do the rest of the day. She had laundry, homework, not to mention that-

The watch dropped out, hitting the side of the desk as it continued to fall. "Shit." she muttered, bending quickly to try and catch it before it hit the ground.

It landed on the dial, the face clicking open as the dial pushed against the ground. From there, movements were slowed and she could've sworn she heard ticking all around her.

She let out another curse when she felt herself being sucked through, limbs and body fading as she was pulled in.

The watch's face closed shut, hour, minute and second hands stopping on the exact time.

* * *

So glad i studied for that exam...lol

and now, i can focus on this! :3


	6. How Do You Go Back?

She landed hard, catching her hip on the edge of the desk. She let out a string of curses, holding her hip as she opened her eyes.

Well…

If she hadn't been completely disoriented, she would've noticed that the all the mutants in the room were young. Almost as young as her. She glanced around, wondering what everyone was still doing in class? Hadn't the bell already rang?

This was definitely not the classroom she had just been in. For one thing, the floors were too clean. Another thing was that the wood looked brighter, walls weren't as faded. She turned slowly in a circle, taking it all in.

"Can I help you?" the teacher asked. She glanced quickly over at him, just enough to allow herself to conclude that he wasn't Professor Summers.

Odd…what was this guy doing in the classroom? This was Professor Summer's class, right?

But, when she looked around at her classmates, she realized that she didn't recognize any of them.

Any of them except for three.

"Professor Summers…?" she asked, stepping closer to the young boy's whose desk she had bumped. The young boy's eyebrows shot up and he leaned back in his chair cautiously.

"Scott…do you know her?" someone asked and she turned next to him to stare at the young redhead. "Dr. Grey?" she asked and the mouth dropped open.

"Excuse me, Miss?" the teacher asked and she turned to stare at him also. "Professor Xavier…?"

The watch in her hand slipped and began falling. "Come on!" she shouted, diving for it once more. It landed on the dial, the watch clicking open as the hands began ticking once more.

She blinked as the sensation of being sucked through swamped her once more. She looked up, eyes connecting with Scott's as he leaned over his desk to watch her. But then, he faded too, along with the entire scene. She closed her eyes against the dizzying spirals, hands reaching up to grip her face as she fell through.

X

This time, she slapped onto the top of the desk instead of on its edge. She let out a groan, rolling slightly onto her side as the pain subsided.

"Note to self, perfect the landing." She muttered, eyes opening wearily as she let out another groan.

"Rogue?"

She turned her head slowly to the left, Professor Summer's looking at her strangely. She glanced around, noting her surroundings. The empty classroom, well, empty except for her and Scott, and also noted the smaller differences. Like, the crack on the ceiling that hadn't been there years ago, or the dirty floor, years and years of scraping chairs making black marks.

"Rogue." Scott said again and she turned her head to look back at him.

"Yeah?" She asked. She watched as he attempted to stay serious, but the smile crept through. "What…what are you doing laying on the top of your desk?"

_I was time-traveling._

Right, she says that and the next day she'd be in the Looney Bin.

"I was…uh…just closing my eyes for a minute. Bad dreams." She explained when he just continued staring at her strangely. He nodded slightly, leaning a hip on the desk as he got comfortable. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked and she winced.

"Well, they're not really _my_ nightmares…" she let the sentence trail off as Scott nodded again, realization pouring in..

"Logan's." he said and she nodded her head.

"Is that normal?" he asked.

"what?"

"For his nightmares to still be yours?"

Rogue shrugged. "It's just dreams. Nothing else of his had stayed."

When none of them spoke for a while, Rogue rolled off, landing on her feet as she cleared her throat.

"Well, uh, thanks Professor Summers. I'm gonna head back to my room. Homework and everything." She finished with a smile. He nodded, straightening up and she bent to pick up her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she waved a short goodbye and turned, heading towards the door.

"Rogue?"

She turned, looking back at Scott. He was staring at her questioningly, something on the tip of his tongue.

"Yes?" she asked, jolting him out of his silence.

"Did you, uh, ever have an older sister or mom or anything?"

She shook her head. "As fair as I know, I was an only child. My mom…well, I never really knew her. Why?"

Scott shook his head. "Nothing that's a really big deal. I just…," he let out a shaky laugh before continuing, "I just thought I saw someone who looked like you when I was younger."

X

She stared at the watch, dangling it in front of her face as she let out a sigh. The sun glared off of the gold, lights dancing over her lap as it sparkled.

She covered her mouth as another yawn hit her, dropping the watch into the palm of her hand. "How do you work?" She mused aloud, pressing the dial gently. It clicked open, the face showing her hands that moved in rhythm together.

Click.

Click.

Click

She let out another yawn, blinking tears out of her eyes. Tugging the coat tighter around her slim body, she turned to rest her head on the bench. Just a small, short nap she told herself. She'll wake herself up.

She let the quiet surround her as she fell under.

She let out a sigh when she heard the crack of a twig, shifting as she sat up. She opened her eyes slowly, already knowing what she would come to see.

Temponaut crouched in front of her, his dark brown hair flying softly in the wind. His grey eyes watched her, body relaxed as he let out a smile. He stood up, making her crane her neck just to keep eye contact with him. He walked closer to the bench, letting out an "oof" as he sat down next to her.

"Can you only come in my dreams? I do like feeling that I got somewhere near a good night's sleep." She muttered, not returning his smile. Temponaut shrugged. "time travel can make one weak."

"It's not the time travel that is making me tired."

"How do you know? You've only done it one." he said, glancing down at the watch gripped in her hand.

"I've always been tired. Especially after a night with Logan's nightmares."

"I must say, I am surprised you haven't spoken to him about that." Temponaut said thoughtfully, holding out a hand as he tried to catch a snowflake. Had it begun snowing? She should probably wake herself up then. But, she found herself staying, actually beginning to enjoy Temponaut's company.

"I don't tell Logan cause then all he'd do is worry."

"he already seems to worry about you a lot." Temponaut mused. She let out a scoff.

"He treats me like a little kid."

"Well, that is worrying-"

"It's not the worrying I want from him." She interrupted, standing up from the bench. She heard Temponaut let out a small chuckle and turned to stare at him. "What's so funny?" she asked. He reached behind him, resting his arms on the bench as he continued to stare at her. "Nothing," he began, shrugging, "I just find it slightly amusing that even though he's head over heels in love with Jean, you still have hope."

"Yeah, well, him and Jean can't be together because-"

"Of Scott, I know." Temponaut finished, standing up also. He walked a little bit, coming to a stop in front of her. "Can I tell you something?" Temponaut asked, and she nodded softly. "I've been to the future, and Logan and Jean don't let a small piece of paper stop them from bouncing in the bed together-Argh!" his hand came up to cradle his cheek, massaging the sore spot where her fist had connected with his face.

She was pissed that her punch did nothing but give him a minor inconvenience.

If this had been the real world, the idiot would be sprawled on his fat ass. "Logan and Jean would never-"

"Come on, Rogue! You're a big girl. Don't think that the institution of marriage matters any more than shit to the two of them." He said, still rubbing his cheek. "So what?" She asked, turning to walk away from him. She only got a few paces before she turned back around the face him.

"If you know that the only reason I would travel back in time is to help Logan, then why are you telling me that in the future him and Jean end up together anyways? Even though I was the one that saved him?"

"You don't get it do you?" Temponaut asked, walking towards her.

"Get what?"

"You can go back and save Logan, and make him fall in love with you first! I am helping you do this!"

She stepped back, her mind working as she stared at him.

"you're saying I can-"

"Change the past. Yes. Didn't you see what you did with Scott's past? He remembers you, vaguely yes, but he remembered you. You changed something small, but you had changed something. You can do the same with Logan-"

"You can't mess with time! It's not right!"

"Rogue-"

"No! This dream is over!" she shouted, closing her eyes as she forced herself awake.

She opened her eyes with a gasp,. She let out a scream when she saw Logan's face looming over hers.

He jumped back as she jumped up. "Logan!" she screamed, more pissed at Temponaut then at him.

"Jeez kid!" the older man cursed, tightening his grip on the pack over his shoulder. The anger faded as she stared at the bag, the feelings of dread already settling deep in the pit of her stomach. "You're going…already?" She asked, sitting back on the bench slowly. Logan nodded, coming over to sit with her.

She couldn't look at him. She just stayed staring at the newly white ground, her hands gripping the edge of the bench painfully.

"The Professor found another place where I could search for answers to my past. I'm going to go check it out."

"How long?"

He shrugged. "A couple of months?" he assumed, reaching inside his pocket to pull out a cigar. Lighting it, he let out a puff of smoke before he turned to look at her.

"Why are you telling me?" She asked, turning to finally look at him.

He let out another puff, shrugging slightly. "I always tell ya, kid."

"No other reason?" she asked, hoping. Logan let out a quick smile. "Fishing for a compliment Kid? Not like you."

She nodded, turning away from him again.

"Please don't go." She whispered, not realizing she had said it out loud until Logan let out a sigh. "I have to go."

"Why?" she asked, turning back towards him.

"I need to know about this-"

"Why? The past is nothing! Come on, Logan! The future should be all that matters!" she screamed, standing up as she moved to crouch in front of him. "Stay…stay with me! Please!" She reached forward to wrap him in a hug.

"Rogue-"

"Please! Don't go!"

"Rogue! Enough!" he shouted, grabbing her shoulders as he tugged her away from him. He held her out at arms length, brown eyes searching her own hazel as they filled with tears.

"I have to go! I have to find out about my past-"

"So you're just going to leave? Again! What if you don't come back this time!" her hand reached up, pulling the dog tags out from under her shirt as she shoved them in his face. "What if you can't come back to claim these?"

"I'll come back!"

"what about me? I can help! Let me go with you-"

"Rogue, stop it!" he shouted, pushing her away. She stumbled, breath coming out harshly as she stared as his back.

"I can't-I can't do this again." he muttered, running a hand though his hair raggedly.

"Again?" She whispered, still watching him.

He turned.

"Did you and Jean get together to plan this? Was this how you guys were planning on making me stay?" He asked.

"me and…Jean. No! Logan, I love-"

"Don't." He whispered the word quietly, eyes hard as he stared at her.

"Jean said the same thing. A tactic to keep me here. I thought…I thought you were above that."

"Logan-"

"I need to figure this out…by myself. I'll be back kid, no worries." he said, walking away as he got the last word.

She stood in the middle of the backyard, wrapping her arms around her cold body as she wept.

X

That night, she fell asleep early.

When she knew he was there in her dreams once more, she opened her eyes. He was watching her from the balcony again, his tall body leaning against the banister. She got off the bed slowly, forgetting her coat as she stepped out into the cold night air. Temponaut said nothing, waiting patiently for her to say what she needed to say.

It was silent for a moment before she spoke.

"How do I go back?"


	7. A Not So Good Landing Place

Temponaut remained quiet, watching the young golden-eyed child as she stared out at the night sky. The moon was waning, but it's light still illuminated her eyes enough for him to see the tears. She let one slip soundlessly down her cheek before she spoke.

"How do I go back?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned slightly against the balcony railing and watched her. She turned towards him when the silence got too much and in the moonlight, his grey eyes seemed to glow.

"Can I ask what changed you're mind?"

"No."

"Touchy." he murmured, still watching her.

"Are you going to tell me, or was this just a waste of my time?" She asked, stepping towards him, her white hair illuminated hauntingly in the night sky.

Temponaut shrugged.

"You've gone back already-"

"Yeah, but I've clicked open and closed the watch a bunch of times before-"

"Let me finish." he said quietly, grey eyes pinning her down.

She never realized how dangerous he was until that very moment. This mutant, who could travel through time, was also very powerful in other ways. Almost every night, he was in her dreams. He could physically touch her without the side effects of her skin, and he could leave objects from his world in her world. She never questioned the abilities, but went along with it without really even thinking about it.

Why didn't he unnerve her?

"You've gone back already. What did you notice about the moment you went back?"

"Notice?" She asked and he nodded.

She turned away from him to stare out at the quiet yard, listening as wind swayed the trees and grass below her. He lifted her arms, draping them over the balcony as she leaned softly over the edge.

"I was thinking about…doing laundry, finishing homework. Normal stuff." she muttered.

She heard clothes rustle as Temponaut mirrored her moves, but instead of staring at the landscape, he stared at her. "That's wasn't all you were thinking about." he prompted.

She turned towards him. "I can't remember everything I was thinking at that moment-"

"come on, Rogue, he was on your mind even then." Temponaut whispered, leaning towards her. Her eyes widened. She began to stutter, cheeks heating up even in the cold air. "Of course he was on my mind! The only reason I was so dead tired was because of his stupid nightmares-"

"he was in your heart, Marie. That's the only reason you went back."

"I didn't even see him-"

Temponaut let out a sigh, interrupting her when he began to speak. "Oh, he was there. Just…not in the room."

"Logan said he'd never been to the mansion before the both of us came together-"

"Logan also said that he doesn't remember his past. Can you really take his word for it?" Temponaut asked, turning away from her. She remained silent, staring at Temponaut's profile for a long time.

"why do you show yourself like this?" she asked, curiosity finally taking over. Temponaut turned back towards her, and for the first time since she'd first met him, she saw complete confusion.

"Pardon?"

"Why do you show yourself like…this?" She asked, waving her arm out in front of his body. Temponaut leaned back, staring down at himself before looking at her. "What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes, turning back towards the yard. "When I first met you, you were like what, 40 something? Then, you changed to 30 something, right? Then it was a teenager, then a kid, and then…this. Yet, you haven't reverted back to any of the other ages. Why?"

Temponaut shrugged. "I feel comfortable in this age set. Why, do you want me to change?"

She was the one to shrug this time. "Not really. I was just wondering."

They stood in silence for a couple of minutes. She felt as if he had avoided her question, but she didn't press. Instead, she continued to stare out.

For a dream, it was remarkably real. She felt the cold, and she felt the wind on her face. She felt his body heat, especially since he was so close to her, and she heard all the other sounds around her. She wondered if this was another part of his power? Wondered if he made things real in his world so that he wouldn't be lonely.

"So, you said you wanted to go back. I told you how…are you ready?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. She turned to look at him, not shocked, not surprised, not even happy, only…contemplative.

"Are there any rules I should know about?" She asked, never taking her golden eyes off of him. He shook his head. "nothing entirely important. Just know, if you change one thing, everything after it will change. So, be careful.""so, what now?"

"Now? Now…you wake up." he said as she pushed her.

She woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and body still cold. She turned quickly towards the balcony window, letting out a breath when she saw they were closed. She turned back towards the clock, reading the time with a roll of her eyes.

She'd only been asleep for 2 hours?

She flipped off the blanket, swinging her legs over the edge as she hopped off. Suddenly famished, she walked over to her closet and threw on a pair of jeans and a black shirt. She grabbed the long green coat, still chilled and turned off the light in her closet as she backed out and began waking towards her door.

The watch on the stand seemed to glow, grabbing her attention. She turned towards it, thought about it for a moment before she shrugged. She brought it with her everywhere, why not to a late night snack?

She walked over, grabbed the watch off the nightstand, dropped it in her pocket and began walking towards her door once more. Throwing it open, she stuck her head out and looked up and down the hallway. When she saw no one, she tiptoed past the doors and began to make her way down the stairs.

It was the shouting that stopped her.

She turned back towards the huge double doors that belonged to Jean and Scott, noting the light under the door was on at full blast. She knew she should've turned away and continued back down to the kitchen, but curiosity once again took her.

She walked slowly and silently back up the stairs to the door, turning her ear towards the wood so she could catch the words better.

It took only a moment for the dread to curl in her stomach, and only another moment before she knew what the argument was about.

So, Jean and Logan had been found out.

She couldn't say she was happy about it, but she couldn't say she was exactly depressed about it either. From the things Scott was screaming at Jean, Rogue figured the redhead deserved it.

Glass crashed to the floor and in shock, Rogue out a small scream.

She slapped her hands over her mouth, already turning towards the stairs, wishing to be any place but where she was when the door opened. The watched slipped out in her haste, hitting the floor with a click as both the door and the watch opened.

She felt the slow pull once more as the hands stopped clicking, the watch silent as she fell in.

X

She landed as a crumpled mess on gravel. She rolled, letting out a groan as she opened her blurry eyes.

She saw the neon sign first. Too disoriented to make out the name, she turned her head slightly to gather more information about her surroundings. She let out a scream when she saw the rat, lifting herself off the ground quickly, gripping her coat as she scrambled away.

"Well, aren't you a pretty lil' thing." A smoky voice murmured behind her. She turned, backing away from the voice as she tried to get her eyes to adjust to the dark. "Aw, Lawthorne, you scared her." Another, deeper voice said to her right. She jumped, still backing away as her mind scrambled. Her back hit the wall and she let out a growl at the inanimate object. "I didn't scare her, even if I did, I think she's cuter when she's scared."

The body belonging to the voice stepped out, illuminated by the moons light, and Rogue stopped the reflexatory need to gag, covering her mouth with her hand. She could smell the whiskey on his breath even from where she was standing. He was tall, burly and hairy. The black hair was tied back in a long ponytail, brown eyes bloodshot from too many nights with the bottle.

"Don't be scared, babe, we're nice guys." the other voice spoke, and she turned towards him. He was lighted by a nearby streetlight, and he looked no better than his friends. Bald, with the tattoo of a snake going down his arm. He was tall and burly, like his friend, but had less hair.

Her head swiveled between the two men, her mind working as she tried to come up with an idea.

"We're just gonna show you a fun time." Lawthorne drawled, reaching for her.

She reacted.

The gloves she constantly wore stopped her powers from taking effect, and with that in mind, her arm shot out, hand wrapping around his outstretched arm. Instead, she pulled him towards her, bringing up her knee as she landed it on his groin. He let out a shout, both hands reaching down to grab his manhood. He doubled over and she took the chance to turn and land a kick on the side of his face. He sprawled to the floor, his drunken body and senses slower than her own.

She heard someone shouting, and turned in time to see the other man as he barreled towards her. She let out a curse, turning towards the brick wall of the alley.

She timed it perfectly.

She jumped, one foot on the wall while the other foot came around. She pushed off the wall with one foot, the other one landing on the shoulder of the larger man. She flipped, one leg kicking him towards the brick wall with force while the other helped her catch herself.

He slammed into the wall hard, his body falling to the ground as he was momentarily knocked out.

She threw her jacket over her shoulders, bringing up the hood as she tried to hide her face. She ran down the alley towards a street, looking for an entrance into any building where she could hide.

She heard bells jingle as the door to the nearby bar open. She didn't think twice about it, just headed towards the bar and spared once glance behind her before she disappeared in.

The only time she'd ever been in a legit bar had been the first time she met Logan. This wasn't really any different, except instead of a cage full of fighting men, she saw tables everywhere. Tables full of cards, glasses of beer and busty girls falling all over the laps of men.

She weaved her way to the back of the bar, trying to get as far away from the men as possible, and trying as hard as she could to get lost in the crowd should they come looking for her here.

She took a seat at on a stool surrounding the barmen, trying not to draw attention to herself as she bided her time. She shoved her hands in the pocket of her coat, feeling for the watch so that it could take her back.

Her attention was momentarily disrupted when she thought she saw someone who looked like Temponaut.

She stared, mouth opened slightly, at the man. He had brown hair, the same texture and style as Temponaut. This man wore his hair a bit longer in the front, his bangs overlapped a small black band. His body was the same shape, draped in a dark trench coat, and she was sure if she could see his eyes, she'd see grey. Right now, though, he wore sunglasses.

Sunglasses? In a bar?

When he let out a laugh, she raised an eyebrow. How could a laugh hold so much…sensuality? She rolled her eyes when she saw the busty blonde that had grabbed his attention. She turned away from him, once again feeling for the watch.

"You're cheating!"

She turned back towards the man in the trench coat, slightly interested when the man remained nonchalant, sitting easily in his chair. The other, more rounder man was standing up, face bright red with rage. "You're cheating!" the man shouted the accusation once more, slamming his own pair of cards down.

"Remy don't cheat, mon-ame. You're just a bad card player."

"Don't you dare pull that shit with me! I saw the pack of cards in your coat! You're cheating!"

"I told you before, Remy don't cheat."

She turned away from them, losing interest when the larger man did nothing but stand there and spit steam.

She panicked when her pockets remained empty, but forced herself to remained calm. It was probably where she had landed. All she needed to do was wait a couple of hours for the two men to leave, and then she could go back and get it.

All she had to do was avoid Lawthorne and his friend.

"Shit." She muttered when she heard the door slam open. Lawthorne stood in the doorway, eyes now bloodshot with rage. She let out another curse when she saw him hold up the watch, voice booming as he tried to be heard over the crowd.

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE BITCH?" he shouted, the chain gripped in his hand. Everyone turned towards him, including her, and Lawthorne let out an eerie smile. "I'LL TRASH THIS IF YOU DON'T SHOW YOURSELF!"

Damn, she needed that watch.

She let out a sigh, knowing she had no choice. All she had to do was get the watch, wish to go back to her time, and open the dial. Simple as that.

"COME OUT YOU LITTLE BITCH-"

"Would you relax? I am right here!" she shouted, hopping off the stool. Half of the room turned to look at her, including the man in the trench coat.

Lawthorne smirked. "You want this back?" he asked, subduing his anger for a moment. It failed though when she didn't answer right away. "DO YOU WANT THIS BACK?"

"Ah, don't go yelling at the young girl now, Lawthorne." The man in the coat said, rising from his seat. Lawthorne turned, spitting at him as he spoke, "Stay out of this."

The trench-coated man splayed his hands. "I can't when you're abusing such a pretty lady-"

"Hey, I can fight my own battles." she interrupted, annoyed.

Bad idea.

Lawthorne and his friend chose that moment to attack, both running towards her as they threw tables and chair to the side.

She cursed, jumping onto the stool as she stepped up onto the bar. The friend broke away first, picking up at a chair as he lobbed it towards her. She jumped, grabbing onto a light as she swing both her legs out towards him. She hit his chest, making him fly back as Lawthorne came at her. She released the light, green coat flying behind her as she side flipped off the bar.

She ended up behind him, her hand reached out to grab his head as she slammed it into the wooden bar. He let out a scream, grabbing his forehead. The watch dropped, and she stooped to pick it up.

She let out a scream when someone grabbed the hood on her coat, throwing her back with force. The bald man jumped on her, straddling her as he gripped her bare throat.

She was bombarded with memories as her power began to work.

The man on top of her began seizing, eyes rolling back in his head as he was thrown into a coma.

"MUTANT!" Someone shouted, fear apparent in their voices. Chairs scrapped back as people rushed out, some tripping over each other in their hurry.

She brought her hands up, trying to loosen the vise grip on her throat. Her vision began to fade, blacking on the corners as she fought for air.

A metal pole slammed into the back of the man on top of her. The grip loosened and she punched him, letting his pliable body slide off as she struggled to her feet.

She staggered, still disoriented. She saw Lawthorne heading for her and had enough time to let out a curse.

A card slide on the floor in front of her, and she saw the Queen of Hearts smile up at her.

"Wha-"

She was grabbed around the waist and thrown to the floor, another body landing on top of hers as she heard the _boom_.

She opened her eyes and saw that the man with the trench coat had been the one on top of her. She could see his eyes now, the sunglasses probably thrown off when they both hit the floor, and immediately knew why he kept them hidden.

They were completely black, except for the glowing red irises.

_Mutant_.

He smirked when he saw where her eyes were.

"Name's Remy, cherie. Remy Lebeau."

* * *

Whoa, 3k words huh? I should take a break more often :]

Soo, i dont knw whats up with college professors and loading all of the exams in one week, but unfortinately, i have 3 exams this week and two exams next week :[, so my stories are going to take a hit.

No worries, i should be back at it at the beginning of october!

R&R


	8. Dreaming?

He decided he liked the way she looked.

Sure, he couldn't see anything except her pale face under the covering of the hood, but he saw enough. Call him superficial or shallow, but pretty women always had an effect on him.

He threw another card across the table, watching the silent girl out of the corner of his eyes as he nursed his beer. She only gave him a cursory glance, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

The blonde walked in front of his face, blocking his view of the child as he continued to stare at her. He let out a lusty laugh, trying to distract the bombshell enough so that she could move.

When his vision cleared he found the young girl now staring at the wall of the bar in front of her, golden eyes contemplating the smooth wooden surface as she reached for her pocket. He shifted a bit, wondering what on the wall could've gotten her attention so quickly and cursed when his coat draped opened slightly, revealing his pack of cards.

"You're cheating!"

He sat back in his chair, letting out a sigh as he picked up a poker chip and began flipping it between his fingers. The man repeated his accusation and Gambit rolled his eyes

"Remy don't cheat, mon-ame. You're just a bad card player."

"Don't you dare pull that shit with me! I saw the pack of cards in your coat! You're cheating!"

"I told you before, Remy don't cheat."

The man stood there, fuming as his face continued to turn red, but after a moment, even Gambit lost interest in the game. He threw his cards on the table, letting the man keep the money as he turned once more to the hooded girl.

He wondered what she looked like.

Sure, he saw the face, but a man of his curiosity always wanted to know more. He doubted she was a blonde. No, it wouldn't fit her as well as darker hair, especially since from what he'd seen, blonde wouldn't work with the pale skin.

So, dark brown hair, maybe?

Her body was hidden underneath the green coat, but for some reason he imagined a lithe, graceful, and powerful body. She looked like she worked out and he doubted she sat on the couch all day and shoved junk food in her mouth.

He liked her eyes the most though. A man in his profession came to appreciate gold, and the eyes of hers were the greatest hue of gold there was.

He raised his brows when he saw the way she jumped at the door bursting open. His curiosity was peaked even more when the local drunk Lawthorne came in screaming with his ever faithful friend Neeman at his side. He saw her close her eyes momentarily, probably praying to whatever God she believed in before she turned around and said in an annoyed tone, "Would you relax? I am right here!"

Lawthorne sneered and Gambit recognized the look in the drunk man's eyes.

He shook his head.

That young lady was asking for trouble, and Lawthorne was the worst one to give it to her.

"You want this back?" Lawthorne asked and barely gave the girl enough time to respond before he repeated the question in a shout.

As entertaining as Lawthorne was when he was drunk, Gambit didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with him tonight.

Rising from his seat, Gambit tried to break up the fight with an easy smile.

"Ah, don't go yelling at the young girl now, Lawthorne."

The drunk turned his red gaze towards Gambit. "Stay out of this." Lawthorne grunted, and Gambit almost listened. But, now, he was itching for a fight.

His last one with Belladonna hadn't quite scratched the itch.

Gambit splayed his hands, inching towards the drunk man as he used the same easy voice. "I can't when you're abusing such a pretty lady-"

"Hey, I can fight my own battles."

He stopped when she interrupted him, and now, the golden eyes were trained on him.

Oh yeah, he liked her voice too. Soft with an edge and deep, with just a hint of an accent.

Lawthorne picked the moment to attack, the moment when her attention was no longer trained on him, and the large man let out a growl as he and Neeman went running for her.

Gambit stepped forward to help, already drawing the shortened staff out of his coat, but hesitated when he noticed the girl was handling her own.

He let out a low whistle when she clocked Neeman in the chest and then proceeded to raise both his eyebrows when she slammed Lawthrone's head on the counter. She dived for something and already Gambit could see Neeman reaching for her.

He let out a curse, already pushing the staff to full length as he jumped the dining table.

Neeman wrapped his beefy hands around her throat and for one second Gambit heard nothing.

He watched in wonder as Neeman's veins began to sprout, eyes bulging as something took over his body.

Someone screamed "mutant", a term Gambit was all too familiar with, and the noise level in the room raised as people ran for the nearest door. He didn't take his eyes off of the young girl though, and was watching close enough to see that she was in much more pain than Neeman was.

Gambit raised his staff and slammed Neeman across the back, loosening his grip on the girl's throat. She raised her fist and struck Neeman on the face, sliding out from under his unconscious body as she struggled to her feet.

Gambit saw Lawthorne first, mouth curving to a smirk as he pulled a card out of his pocket.

The static raced through his body, building up into the card as he slid it across the floor in front of the large running man.

He dived, taking the girl with him as they both slammed onto the floor. He felt his glasses slide off, the staff clanking across the floor as the card exploded. Satisfaction coursed through his body when he heard the boom. It hadn't been enough to kill the men, but it was enough to stop them in their tracks.

He raised his head from over her shoulder and saw the golden eyes watching him. When he saw them trace his red irises, he smirked.

"Name's Remy, Cherie. Remy Lebeau."

X

The first thing she thought about was the fact that his eyes weren't gray like she had assumed. The second thing she thought about was the fact that this man from the past was a mutant, and that she was now in a very odd predicament. The third and final thing that blew past her mind in that five second instant was that she was gonna have a hell of a time getting Neeman out of her mind.

She coughed, head heavy as she fought the bald man and his personality. Her body felt light, a usual side effect of her power, and she struggled to stay conscious as the pain began to spread. Her limbs became numb, and she wondered if it was because of her power or because of the man on top of her that seemed to be successfully cutting off her air supply.

She opened her mouth to speak, but struggled with words as she felt her mind, and body, slide away.

Gambit watched her eyes glaze over and felt her body slip into unconsciousness. He let out a curse, already rolling off of her as he jumped to his feet. He bent over, picked her up, safely avoiding her skin, and was already out the window before he heard the sound of sirens.

He was running through the wet and muddy streets when he saw the watch slip out of her pocket, hitting the ground with a clank. He stopped, against his better judgment, and bent to look at it as the face clicked open.

He blinked as his arms became lighter, the body in them fading as the watch began to tick, the hands moving faster and faster with each growing second.

He turned, trying to keep the young girl's face in his mind as she physically faded. He didn't know what he did it, it was probably one of those "in the moments" kind of action, but he slipped the Queen of Hearts into the pocket of her jacket.

He was squatting in the middle of the street, alone, fifteen seconds later, still smelling her.

X

Her entire body hurt.

She let out a groan as she opened her eyes, disoriented as she stared at the balcony windows.

The balcony windows?

She shot straight up, ignoring the protests of her body as she turned her head around and around.

What was she doing in her room? Hadn't she just been in some dirty bar, fighting with 2 guys?

Where was the tables full of people and playing cards? Where was the dirty room with air that smelled of smoke and piss?Where was that mutant…?

Her mind kept wandering until she saw the watch, the face closed and staring at her mockingly.

She reached over, wrapping her hand around the cold gold as she dragged it over to her.

She stared at the smooth surface, wondering if everything she had just experienced was a dream.

Other than her aching body, there was nothing different about her. She didn't have any of the bald man's memories or personalities, and she was in any of the clothes she had been in.

She threw the watch lightly, laughing at herself a bit. Did she actually believe she could travel in time? How much of an idiot could she have been? Some guy comes in her dreams and actually convinces her that he could manipulate time.

Where had the practical Rogue gone in those situations?

Gosh, Logan treats her like shit and she…

Logan.

Remembering Logan made her remember Scott and Jean.

And remembering Scott and Jean made her remember the fight.

Had that actually happened, or had that all been a dream too?

She hoped it had and hadn't been at the same time. If it had been a dream, than they wouldn't have caught her outside the door eavesdropping. But, if it hadn't been a dream, than Scott would know about his cheating fiancé.

Rogue couldn't decide which idea was more appealing.

She let out a sigh, rubbing the back of her head slightly as she shifted off the bed. It was still dark, so obviously not much time had passed since the last time she woke up…if she had really woken up then.

She went to her closet, grabbing the green jacket as she threw it over her shoulders. This mansion was too freaking cold.

She tiptoed over to the door, creaking it slightly open as she poked her head out, turning it both to the left and the right as she looked out for someone. When she saw no one, she slipped out of her room, heading for the stairs with the intent of hunting up warm milk to help her fall back asleep.

It was the shouting that stopped her cold.

She turned slightly, eying the large wooden doors that belonged to Scott and Jean's room.

Everything in her body told her to just keep walking, to turn around and continue into the kitchen. But, once again, mere curiosity took her over.

She stepped back up, taking the familiar place in front of the door as she listened to the argument.

Déjà vu hit her like a bullet when she heard the glass crash onto the floor, not being able to stop the small gasp that passed her lips.

Shit.

She reached into her pocket, trying to find the watch, and instead felt something odd. She didn't have time to wonder what it was though.

When she heard the lock on the other side of the door click, she did the first thing that came to mind.

She ran.

She flew down the stairs, sliding across the tile floors as she busted the door of the kitchen open. She heard more shouting and closed her eyes as she leaned her back lightly against the swinging door, trying to still the swaying motion.

Her eyes adjusted to the dark slowly, and after a couple of minutes of silence she let out a long breath.

The breath turned into a shout when the door was slammed open, hitting the back of her head hard enough to have her seeing stars. She fell to the floor, letting out a groan when someone flicked on the lights.

"Rogue…?" she heard Scott's voice dimly through the headache.

Shit.


	9. Going Back for Scott

She pressed the icepack against the swelling bruise, wincing when it sent her head jarring more, and refused to look Scott in the eyes as she stared at a spot on the counter.

The clock ticked idly by, the second hand loud in the quiet room as Scott filled another bag with ice. She heard him jiggle the bag, pieces of ice cracking against each other. The sound sent her head splintering, and she let out a groan as she dropped her head into her free hand.

"Sorry." Scott mumbled, more for being the cause of the pain than for setting it off again.

She only let out a grunt as an answer, pressing the ice pack harder against the back of her head as she stared at the ground.

She prayed to whatever God there was that he didn't bring up Jean.

Or Logan.

Or Jean and Logan.

Or Jean with Logan.

Crap.

She closed her eyes, muttering obscenities as Scott placed the second bag of ice onto the table, still silent as she felt his gaze on her.

_Please don't ask. _

_Please don't ask._

_Please don't ask._

_Please, for the love of Xavier, don't ask-_

"Rogue, did you know?"

_Shit._

She rolled her eyes towards the heavens before she raised her head, gold eyes connecting with Scott's red shades.

"I shouldn't even bother pretending I don't know what you're talking about, should I?" she asked, and from the purse of his lips, she took that as a yes.

She let out a sigh, sliding off the stool as she dropped the melting bag of ice onto the table, picking up the second one before she spoke. "Technically, I didn't know until I heard you guys shouting. I had my suspicions, but I never had proof."

Ok, so that was a lie. But, there was no way that Scott would ever find that out.

Sure, she had known. Like she's said before, Jean and Logan always bounced around in the bed a couple of times before he left again. She kept it from Scott because he was generally a good guy, and she didn't know how to break it to her own heart.

Scott nodded, turning away from her slightly as he thought over something.

"I think…I think I had my suspicions too." he said softly, twisting the gold band around his finger slowly, mind far away.

Rogue remained quiet, watching him out of sleepy, tired eyes as he continued to stand there.

When the silence dragged on long enough, and Rogue was sure she was as uncomfortable as she could get, she dropped the bag of ice into the trash. She reached out, grabbing the first bag, and did the same. The sound seemed to jar Scott out of his current state, his head turning to look up at her.

She let out a small, nervous laugh, wishing she could come up with a good excuse to leave without making it seem like she was trying to escape.

"I'm kinda tired…"

"Yeah, yeah of course." Scott replied, stepping to the side to let her through. She tiptoed past him, giving him another small smile before she turned around to open the door. She hesitated, though, when she heard him sit down heavily on the stool with a sigh. Turning back around, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"She doesn't deserve you, Scott. If I could change this, I would."

She walked out after that.

X

Everyone in the mansion tried their best to avoid the couple. Well, technically, they weren't a couple anymore, which was made evident the next day when Scott moved out of the room. Even with the distance, no one wanted to be around Scott and Jean, especially since they bit everyone's heads off when they were near them.

Rogue avoided the two at all costs.

Not only because it was the epitome of awkward, but also because of what she'd said to Scott. She hadn't really been lying. If she could stop Scott's heartache, even for a moment, she would.

Scott was a mutant that Rogue had yet to place. On one hand, he was absolutely, irrevocably, and completely in love with Jean Grey. That, in her mind, was dumb mistake numero uno. On the other hand, Scott was a dedicated, loving, compassionate and headstrong leader. That was pro number one. He had saved her, a mutant he didn't even know, more than half a year ago. So, she figured she owed him one. Plus, she couldn't hold any hard feelings against the man who believed in what the Professor was fighting for even more than the Professor did.

So, no, she hadn't been lying when she said that if she could change it for him, she would.

Scott deserved something more than a cheating redheaded whore.

She didn't think that name for Jean was harsh at all.

It was a full week before she spoke to Temponaut again. By then, she had concluded that she'd successfully temporarily lost her mind for a moment and had acted irrationally and had allowed herself to believe that she could actually travel back in time. In that week, she had convinced herself that Temponaut wasn't real, and the dreams he had been in were nothing more than that. Dreams.

She remembered falling asleep in the grass, a spot she frequented since Scott and Jean seemed to have their minds set on dividing the mansion. It was either Pro-Jean or Pro-Scott. All was fair in love and war, and in this war of love, nothing was off limits. Rogue was proud to admit that she was one of the few mutants who hadn't been harassed (more Jean than Scott), reprimanded (more Scott than Jean) or bribed (both) into picking a side. And, she credited half of her success to her small hiding spot way behind the green lawns of the mansion.

She'd found the place upon accident, venturing too deep into the woods one day when she had been trying to outrun another one of Scott's danger room sessions.

It was the perfect spot. Just a patch of grass, large enough for her to lay down in but small enough to feel secluded. Some days, the sun hit it just right, and the place lit up like magic.

So, when she was yet again running away from another session, she escaped to the green patch, passing out on the floor as she tried to catch her breath.

She never imagined nature would lull her to a dream filled sleep.

Or that Temponaut would be waiting for her.

She saw the back of his head first. Granted, he was turned away from her, and she couldn't see his face, but she knew it was him. Hell, she'd only spent the last week telling herself that he didn't really exist and she had just been slowly losing her mind…

Right.

She remained rooted to the ground, refusing to acknowledge the fact that the man was actually here in her dreams once more. Instead, she closed her eyes and began to try and force herself awake. When she felt the sun's warmth hit her cheek, she let out a sigh of relief.

Opening her eyes, she let out a small shriek when she found Temponaut staring at her with amused, grey eyes.

"Did you actually, realistically, think that would work?" he asked and she only scowled as an answer.

She turned her back to him, closing her eyes as she once again tried to wake herself up.

"it's not going to work." Temponaut mused, and she heard that slightest hint of amusement in his voice. She turned to narrow her eyes at him. "You don't exist. There's no way-"

He reached out a hand, wrapping it around her arm softly as he stared into her eyes. "I exist." he murmured, sending shivers up her spine with his voice. In dreams, you don't feel anything. So, why did she feel the warmth from his hand radiating through the sleeve of her shirt?

"I spent a week convincing myself you don't exist, just so that I could believe I was normal. You. Don't. Exist." She jerked her arm free, already walking away from him as she tried to find a way to wake herself up.

"I assume you're first travel through time didn't go so well." He said thoughtfully, raising his hand to examine his nails.

She faltered, turning slightly to say over her shoulder, "it didn't go well because it never existed." She continued to walk, ignoring him as he let out a small chuckle.

"So, you're not the least bit curious about the mutant you met?"

That put her at a full stop. She turned around to face him, face scrunched in thought as she continued to stare. "You know about him?" she asked, slightly annoyed when Temponaut just shrugged. "Come on, Rogue, when you got back in time cause of me, I think I am entitled to see what you do and don't change."

"Yeah, well, thanks for the help when those two guys were kicking my ass." she mumbled, kicking up a rock that came dangerously close to his head. He moved gracefully to the side, already laughing when he retorted, "That is why I didn't help. You handled it by yourself just fine, kid."

"Right." She muttered, shoving her hands into the pocket of her sweats. The cold air was already beginning to nip at her and she chastised herself for coming out without her jacket once more.

Oh, he was real alright. Her mind, and her mind was the most logical part of her entire body, agreed with the thought that Temponaut actually, realistically existed. Too many coincidences meant that it wasn't a coincidence at all, and this week was nothing but an entire coincidence.

Oye.

"So, going along with the whole concept that you might actually exist, why are you back?" She asked, taking her hands out of her pockets as she blew warm air into them. Temponaut shrugged once more.

"I came back to see if you were interested in going back once more."

Rogue slanted him a look. Was she interested? Not really. Last time she'd gone, she hadn't even seen Logan and had gotten absolutely nothing done except get her butt kicked.

That was enough of an experience for her.

"I'm good." She replied, already turning around to make her way out of her secluded patch.

"Even if it meant helping Scott?"

Damn.

She turned back around warily, already pulled in even before Temponaut spoke again. "You could help Scott, Rogue. All you had to do was ask."

"I thought you said I could only go back for Logan?"

Temponaut scoffed. "You never pay attention to a word I am saying, do you? I said all you had to do was think about the _person_ and it'll take you back to what your desires."

She walked slowly up to him, golden eyes never leaving his as she spoke.

"I could change Scott's…future?"

Temponaut nodded.

She stopped walking when she was close enough to him that she could see the dark flecks of blue in his grey eyes, feel the heat radiating off his body. She watched his Adam's apple bob slightly, feel his warm breath whisper along her cold cheeks as he spoke. "You could change everything happening now. All you have to do is wish."

She felt his hand slide into hers, felt the cold metal against her skin that told her the golden watch was in her hands. She finally broke eye contact, glancing down at the watch as she ran her thumb lightly over a small crack.

She flipped the watch, laying her forefinger softly over the latch as she contemplated the possible risks.

"Take me back to Scott." She whispered, putting pressure on her forefinger. She saw the face click open, the hands stopping as the familiar sensation began running through her veins. She glanced up to see Temponaut smiling, his grey eyes being the last thing she saw before she fell into the bottomless void.

* * *

So sorry for the late update guys! School is a bit more demanding these days . i don't want to make any promises and fail to live up to it, so unfortunately i can't tell you the next time a chapter will be posted. Let's hope for the love of my sanity (and, maybe urs...) it's soon!

R&R

ps. thanks to my loyal readers who stuck with me through the withdrawel phase XD


	10. Saving Mutant Scott

When she landed hard on her side…again, she let out a curse, reminding herself to work on her landing if she was ever going to travel again. She stayed on the ground as she collected herself, allowing her body and mind to adjust to the new setting.

When she finally did open her eyes, much to her deep regret because she was still seeing stars, she didn't see the mansion like she thought she would've. Instead, she saw the back of a fairly new school, the tall brick building silhouetted against the sun. She rolled to her feet, only groaning slightly when she saw she was still clad in her sweats and baggy shirt. Well, she would fit right in with the kids in the school. All she was missing was the backpack loaded with stuff.

She trudged up the hill leading to the school, wondering if she had been sent back to the time when The Professor came to recruit Scott. Was she supposed to stop the recruitment? That seemed a bit odd, especially since Scott was sorta the entire X-men team in the future. So, maybe stopping the recruitment was not what she was sent to do. She'd only asked to go back to stop Jean and Scott from dating.

So, why hadn't she been sent back to when they first starting dating? Why not the mansion instead of his old school? It wasn't like she could stop them from liking each other, but she was pretty sure she could stop them from ever going out.

She'd just made it over the crest of the hill before she heard the shouting. She saw the group of kids first, the sounds of "fight" evident as hands were raised. Curious, she ventured closer, careful to make sure her skin was covered.

From the look of the students, this was definitely a high school, the kids ranging between the awkward stages of adolescence and the final stages of early adulthood. They were all shouting, excited as they circled another group of kids that were bullying someone. She craned her neck to see over the students, finally happy for once that she was 5'9 instead of small and petite.

She let out a curse when she saw the familiar red shades, connecting it to the brown hair and broad shoulders of the future leader of the X-men.

"Move! Get out of my damn way! Move!" she shouted, fighting her way through the kids as she tried to get into the middle of the circle. She continued to shout, yelling obscenities as she cleared herself a path.

Once, a long time ago, she had been in high school, a typical student like many of the kids here. If she hadn't been a mutant and "transferred" to the mansion, she would've been a senior this year. She would've already gone to school with kids like this for four years. Regardless, she didn't forgot how idiotic and moronic many of them were, doing anything to grab attention or be important for just a moment.

She didn't forgot how cruel kids could be to those that were different.

"If you don't get out of my way, I am going to hit you!" she screamed, still muscling her way past the kids as she tried to get to Scott. Many moved, others just crowded in more when one of the boys landed a good punch on Scott's face.

There were six of them, each circling Scott as he stood bleeding and bruised. She recognized the varsity jackets, sneering as she considered the old high school cliché. Too bad it hadn't changed in 20 years.

She finally made it to the front lines of the circle, reaching it in time see Scott hit the ground as the largest of the boys tackled him. The sunglasses fell off, and with a shout to keep his eyes closed, Rogue jumped in.

She made contact with one of the blonde boys first, landing a kick to his face as he stumbled back. She turned, ducking when the largest boy took a swing at her. Her fist shot out, connecting with his groin as he doubled over in pain. She watched as he dropped to the floor, smiling in satisfaction as she finally got back at all those kids whoever picked on mutants in the history of mutants.

She screamed when her hair was grabbed, her head jerking back with the force of it. Her eyes connected with dark brown and with a growl, her fist shot out. She felt cartilage crunch under her fist, the grip on her hair loosening enough for her to pull free. She turned on her knee, facing the kid as he gripped his bleeding nose. She adjusted herself, long legs flying out as she caught the kid's legs behind his knees. He feel with a shout, rolling on the floor as his head smacked against the hard ground.

Jumping to her feet, she made a come hither motion with her finger to the remaining three. When none of them moved, she raised an eyebrow. "What, can you only fight when you outnumber a guy 6 to 1? Are you that pathetic?" she asked, knowing that would set off one of them.

She wasn't wrong.

She smiled when the bigger of the remaining three came running at her. She jumped, slapping her foot across his face as she spun in the air. She heard the boy gag as he hit the floor, knocked out momentarily from the strength of the kick. She threw her hair out of her eyes as she landed, golden irises watching the remaining boys. "Who next?" she asked, breath coming out strong from exertion. The remaining two boys slapped each other, each one backing away slowly. The crowd of students had thickened, every other kid yelling encouragement to the remaining boys. One got gutsy enough to actually start running towards her.

She grinned. Dropping to the ground, she avoided his high kick as she kicked his feet out from under him. Midway through his fall, she kicked him in the back, sending him flying away from her. When he landed, rolling onto his side with a groan, he remained in that position.

She glanced up at the last boy, wondering what his next action would be.

She only smirked when he ran away, fighting through the crowd of kids that was already thinning.

She turned in circles, making eye contact with the other boys she'd already taken out. They were all glaring at her, one clenching his fist hard enough to turn it white. "Want another go?" she yelled. When they all remained quiet, she pointed as Scott. "Fuck with him again, and I won't go easy on you. Now, get moving."

When none of the moved, or made a move to move, she took a threatening step forward. They all scrambled to their feet, fleeing as she watched them run.

When no one but a few stragglers were left, she turned towards the young mutant, crouching as she tried to bring herself level with Scott.

"Hey," she said gently, only feeling a bit odd at seeing Scott more than a decade younger. She reached out a hand, placing it gently on Scott's shoulder. He jerked away from her, eyes clenched so tightly that she thought he might pull a muscle from the strain.

"Don't touch me." Scott said hoarsely, hands reaching out around him to feel for his glasses.

She glanced around, locating them a couple of feet away from the pair. "Stay here." She commanded, rising to her feet as she walked over to the glasses. She bent over, picking them up as she turned to make her way back over to Scott. She crouched in front of him once more, sighing as he remained sitting there, eyes shut tightly. "Scott," She began, reaching out for him once more. He must've known she was going to do it because he jerked away from her once again.

"I said don't touch me. I don't need any of your help." he scolded, still feeling around for his glasses.

"Man, you're as stubborn now as you are in the future." She mumbled, thrusting his glasses towards him. "There are nicer ways to say thank you." She chided, shaking the pair in front of his eyes. He reached out, hands wrapping around her wrists as he felt for the glasses.

She pulled back quickly, the glasses falling back on the ground as she let out a gasp. The contact hadn't been long enough for her power to take effect, but the feel of skin against hers, even for that moment, was almost like heaven. "You okay?" Scott asked, still feeling around for his glasses.

"Fine." She mumbled, picking them up again. "Stand still." She told him softly, sliding on his glasses as she avoided his skin.

She watched his face unclench slowly, eyes opening as he could see once again. "Better?" she asked and took his scoff as a yes. "your welcome." She muttered, rising to her feet.

Scott glanced up at her, and she was struck by the fact that Scott was…hot. Sixteen years earlier would put him a year older than her 17, and Rogue didn't blame Jean one bit for falling for the young Scott.

He struggled to his feet, standing up fully as he continued to stare at her. "How'd you know?" he asked, and she didn't feign ignorance when she answered him. It's not like only being able to see through sunglasses was a common thing to run into every day. "Let's just say…you and I are not that much different." she answered, reaching up to rub the back of her neck as she glanced around.

"So, you know about…me?" He asked, incredulousness in his voice. She shrugged. "I know you're a mutant, and that you're power is…this." She said, pointing at her own eyes.

Scott let out a sigh. "The old man said he wouldn't tell anyone." Scott said, annoyed as he let his eyes trail over the back of the school.

"Old man?" she asked.

Scott looked back at her. "The man in the wheelchair. Said he had a school for "gifted kids" and wanted me to attend. Said he would keep my powers a secret regardless of whether or not I chose to join."

"Professor X." She said, smiling as she thought of the old man. She saw his eyebrows raise in surprise. "You know him?"

"Eh…ish. Nice guy, good school…you know, the works."

"Do you go there?" he asked, and she had a hard time deciding how to answer this. After a moment, she said with hesitation, "kinda" and left it at that.

Scott nodded, hands on his hips as he turned his head to spit out a wad of blood. She'd seen him do worse in danger room sessions, so she didn't have a problem with his recent action.

"So, do I get to know the name of my savior?" Scott asked, still eying her.

"Savior? Hardly."

"As much as I'd hate to admit that a girl saved my ass today, I'd like to say thank you. You know, being polite and all."

"Right, well-"

"Unless you'd like to tell it to me over dinner."

She snorted. She hadn't meant to, but Scott Summers asking her out on a date seemed a but surreal. When he frowned though, she sputtered out an excuse. "That's not the best idea. Let's just say, it would be a really long distance relationship."

"What, like, another state?"

_Try another time period_.

"Another time zone." She answered instead, reaching inside the pockets of her sweats.

She felt the watch instantly. Remembering her earlier intent, she glanced up at Scott. "Whatever you do, avoid Jean Grey."

Scott looked at her puzzled, and she could've sworn she felt the watch vibrate. Did she want to leave now? It would be a good of time as any.

Without much to go on, she clicked open the watch, shouting at Scott to look over his shoulder. She smiled when he fell for the trick, disappearing as the watch began to click.

X

She landed in something plush, thanking God for the soft spot as she rolled.

She let out a scream when she rolled right off the bed, hitting the ground with a thud. She let out a groan as she turned on her side, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling with blurry eyes.

Where was she?She was pretty sure she had wished to go back to her time when she opened the watch…

"Marie, honey, are you okay?" a deep voice shouted, and she heard blankets rustle as feet hit the floor.

Honey?

She let out another scream when Scott appeared in front of her, bare from the waist up as he reached for her. "Oh my gosh, Professor Summers? What are you doing here?" she shouted, reaching for the blanket as she threw it around her body.

Scott looked at her confused. "Professor? Marie, honey, are you alright?" he asked, taking another step towards her,

"Oh-ho, no! I am not alright! Why am I here and why are you…why are you naked?"

'"Marie, honey, we've been through this. Charles said it was ok as long as your powers are under control. And I am not really naked, I mean-" She waved that away as she stared around with wide eyes. "Why am I in here? What are we doing together? Oh, damn! Did I land I the wrong place?"

Scott let out a laugh. "You're in here because that's what married couples do. They live together."


	11. Consequences

"This isn't happening." She repeated to herself over and over as she stood, perched on the other side of the bathroom door.

She turned on the faucet, drowning out Scott's cajoling voice as he tried to coax her back outside. "Go away!" she shouted, turning on the second faucet, letting the flowing water calm her nerves.

She picked up the small towel on the sink, twisting it in her hands as she stared in the mirror. She threw the towel viciously back down, letting out a string of curses when she saw his reflection. She whirled on him, ignoring the hand he'd outstretched to ward her off and instead stomped up to him, swatting his it away.

"What the hell happened?" she shouted, stabbing a finger into Temponaut's chest. He stumbled back, rubbing the spot lightly as he sent her a look. "Don't blame me, kid. You're the one that did it."

"What happened?" she repeated, stepping back over to the running sinks only to stalk right back over to him. "Why am I married to Scott?" she asked, getting close enough to his face to see the black in the grey depths.

"I told you to be careful of what you did in the past! It's not my fault if you don't listen!" he yelled, bumping her chest lightly with his. She stumbled back, only sending him a look as she regained her balance.

"Yes, because, I am supposed to assume that telling Scott not to marry Jean would irrevocably make him marry me! Temponaut you—"

"Don't yell me name!" He shouted, running up as he slapped a hand over her mouth. She jerked back in surprise, her hands coming up to grip his as she tried to jerk away. She felt his other hand on the back of her head, holding her in place as he leaned in close, whispering ferociously in her ear.

"Never say my name out loud. Understood?"

Her anger died as she nodded slowly, watching him out of the corner of her golden eyes, contemplating the man who could touch her without being sucked dry. He released her quickly, walking away as he ran a hand through his hair.

She rubbed the tips of her finger over her mouth as she continued to watch him.

"Are you cold?" she asked, and had the pleasure of seeing him look at her, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"You're hands. They were freezing. Are you cold?" she asked again. He let out a chuckle, lightening the tense atmosphere slightly. He ran a hand through his hair once more before answering. "No, I am not cold. It's just…an aftereffect." He said the last word with a sort of connotation to leave it be.

So she did…for now.

Instead, she let out a sigh as she leaned back on the sink, bringing her gloved hands up to rub her face. She turned, shutting off the faucets when she didn't hear Scott on the other side of the door. She let out another sigh, turning back around to stare at Temponaut once more.

"Do you know what happened?" She asked, toning down her anger. She would be the first to admit that anger not only got you nowhere, but also got plenty of people pissed off.

Temponaut shrugged slightly, letting out a breath through his teeth as he thought. "I am only allowed glimpses of the time in between. Little action clips to catch me up to speed if you will."

"I just want to know how Scott and I ended up…married." She said the last word with contempt, her face crushed in distaste.

It wasn't that Scott was ugly or unattractive. Far from it. It was that he was so...Scott. She could never picture herself with the leader of the X-men. He fought harder than anyone else for the day that humans and mutants could live together peacefully.

She was just trying to get through life.

Talk about polar opposites with completely different goals in life.

"I mean, it's not like me telling him not to date Jean meant he was going to marry me." She added when Temponaut remained silent, staring at her with calm eyes.

"You made a bigger influence than you thought. You're the first mutant other than himself that Scott ever met. You saved him from being beaten up. You left in a white light. The girl you told him to avoid he conveniently met the next day. Plus, Scott is…was…only 16. Life is all about first impressions, and honey, you made a big one."

She let her head fall back, rolling her eyes when she heard Scott fussing around in the room outside. "Thinking about me cause I saved him is one thing. Marrying me is a completely different thing. Scott is almost 16 years older than me—"

"Age doesn't matter when love is a factor—"

"But I don't love him." She said simply. Temponaut shrugged again. "Time is a dicey matter. Something you learn when you mess with it was much as I have."

"well, then you must've messed up once or twice in the past right?" she asked, getting up from the sink as she thought of something. Temponaut nodded, answering her question. "right, so, how did you fix it when you messed up?"

"I went back and changed it again."

"Ok, well, send me back and let me fix this." Rogue said, clapping her hands together before rubbing them. She closed her eyes, pulled the watch out of her pocket of her robe, made a wish to go back and pushed on the dial, the familiar click of the face opening being a welcomed sound.

When she didn't feel the familiar tug or pull, her eyes shot open only to find Temponaut looking at her with almost an exasperated expression.

"what?"

"You can't just keep using my power without some consequences. Don't you ever get tired after using your mutation too much?"

She nodded.

"Well, right now, I am in sort of an exhausted stage."

She trailed her eyes down his body. He was standing alert, eyes focused and looked as refreshed as a person could look.

"Are you lying to me because this is a funny joke to you?" She asked. She watched him roll his eyes towards the ceiling, muttering something before looking back at her. "I'm not lying to you. I swear. I just…need a couple of hours of rest before I am able to get you back there. If I try it now, you could end up in another dimension."

"How long is 'a couple of hours'?" she asked. This time, he didn't bother holding in the wince.

"Like four or five."

Her eyes widened. "Temponaut," she started, slowly walking over to him, "four or five is not 'a couple'. 'A couple" is one or two. Four or five is an eternity!"

"Well, it's either that or get stuck in an alternate dimension!" he shouted back. She remained silent, still looking at him. "Rogue?"

"I'm thinking!" she yelled.

"Oh, forget this! I am not sending you back. So, just man up and stay in here for a couple of hours!"

She watched in horror as her only way out began to disappear, dissolving into nothing right in front of her eyes.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Hey, wait!" She ran towards his form, letting out a growl in frustration when she just went right through him. "Come back here you pansy!"

"Rogue? Rouge, Honey, who are you talking to?" Scott's voice penetrated through the door, grating on her already fragile nerves. Instead of answering him back, she looked wildly around the bathroom for another way out. When she saw the window, she scrambled over to it, not paying attention to the fact that she was barely clothed in a robe and something flimsy underneath.

She just needed to get out.

She threw open the window, letting out a curse when she saw the ground was about 3 stories below her.

She couldn't very well jump 3 stories and expect to land safely. But, she wasn't going to spend the next four or five hours hiding in a bathroom. Chances were, they'd eventually find a way to get her out, and she didn't want to face the inhabitants of the mansion. Not right now.

She stuck her head back out the window, turning it left and right trying to find a way out. When she saw the row of ledges, each one being the top of an air-conditioning unit, she sent a small prayer to whatever man was up above. She moved back into the bathroom, looking around for something that would pass as shoes, giving her more grip than her bare feet would. When she saw the rubber shower slippers, she made a grab for them, not giving herself enough time to notice that there was a blue and pink pair.

Pink.

She shuddered as she slipped the blue pair on, opting to keep the robe on. She didn't want to see what was underneath, unsure if she would be able to handle looking at what she wore when going to bed with her…husband.

She stepped up onto the window ledge, thankful that the rubber slippers maintained some grip. She tightened the robe, giving one last look behind her at the door before she swung out.

She gripped the first ledge easily, hand still holding onto the edge of the window frame. She turned, swinging her other foot off the window and onto the new ledge. She flattened her back against the wall, hands stretched out on either side of her body as she stood, balancing on the side of the mansion. She didn't look down, telling herself it would be much better in the long run if she didn't.

Instead, she looked around for the second ledge, finding it easy enough. "Ok, right. Now, all I need to do is just find an open window and—"

"Rogue?" Scott's voice echoed out through the open window, bouncing off the surroundings as it came barreling back at her.

She let out a curse when she lost her balance, teetering long enough on the ledge to send a million thoughts through her mind before she fell, one thought being the wish to get out of this alive.

She heard her name screamed once more before she felt the pull and tug, the hands of the watch freezing as she was warped into another time period.

X

She didn't know what hurt more. Her head or her butt. Considering her head probably broke her fall first before it was immediately preceded by her butt, she concluded that her head took the brunt of the landing and technically probably hurt more.

She let out a groan as she rolled over, not caring anymore about which hurt more and instead focusing on how to make the pain go away.

"Cherie?"

She didn't think the voice was real. After all, no one in the mansion said that word. Nor did anyone else in the mansion have that accent. She just figured it was her injured head playing tricks on her. So, when she heard it repeated once more, she ignored it, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to regain her bearings.

"Cherie?"

She opened her eyes slowly, the blurry figure over her being the only thing she saw for a moment. She closed her eyes, brought her hand up to her pounding head and attempted to sit up. When a pair of hands stopped her softly, each one placed gently over her arms, she paused, opening her eyes once more. She blinked several times, trying to focus on the man in front of her who was still speaking some foreign, odd language.

He switched between English and the other language, muttering phrases and words she understood at some moments and didn't in others.

She closed her eyes one more time, trying to stop the pressure behind her eyes. Even though she was still a bit groggy, her senses were slowly coming back to her, her memories following at a slower pace.

She had been in a window…

No.

She'd been on a window ledge running away from…something…

A wedding?

No, that didn't seem right either. She'd already been married…

"Oh, shit!" she yelled, jerking up from the couch as she tried to continue running away from Scott. Her head collided with something hard, sending her sprawling back on the couch with a bigger headache, and sending whatever she hit into a storm of curses.

Her eyes shot open, recognizing the voice immediately as the same smoky voice who had introduced himself to her the last time she'd been in the past.

Because she'd traveled back.

"Gambit?"

* * *

I realized i haven't updated any of my stories for over a month.

My sincere apologies guys, truly. I have just been so caught up with schools and finals that i just didn't have time *Sad face*

I have finals for another week and i am excited to say i will be completely done with school for a month after that. And, i promise, i will work on my stories.

In reply to all the reviews, this IS a Remy/Rogue fanfic, no worries :D

R&R


	12. A Wasted Trip

"Here." Gambit said gently, handing her a cup of some steaming liquid. She glanced up at him, mumbling a thank you before taking the cup, letting it warm her cold hands instead of drinking it.

Gambit nodded once, walking over to the opposite chair. He let out an "oof" as he took a seat.

It was quiet for a moment, the only sounds being the outside noises of the city.

To say it was an awkward silence was putting it nicely.

To say it was anything other than an awkward silence was lying.

The quiet reigned on, and in an attempt to soften the tense atmosphere, she took a small sip of the hot drink.

Her eyes widened for just a moment before she tried to swallow past the taste. She put the cup onto a table, hands fisting as she fought the drink down. She held in the coughs, forcing the bitter liquid past her gag reflex. The guy was nice enough to give her something warm to drink, the least she could do was be nice enough not to offend him by spitting it back up.

When Gambit glanced up at her, though, she failed miserably at her attempt and watched in horror as the small amount spewed out, sending her into a spasm of coughs and shakes.

"Oh god!" Gambit yelled, jumping up to rush over to her. She held out her hand, holding him back as she pounded her other hand on her chest, clearing the liquid that had slipped down the wrong passage.

"I'm…ok…trust…me." She said between coughs, eyes watering from the effort as she let out another cough. When it quieted down, she finally realized that Gambit was laughing softly. She glanced up only to see him clutching his stomach, trying to hold back the belly laugh.

Confused, she waited till he quieted down, trying to figure out what was so funny while at the same time trying to gain her bearings.

"I'm…sorry." He said between gasps, "the drinks down here are kinda strong. Your reaction was just priceless."

She didn't laugh, more confused than amused at the situation.

"That's it? That's why you're laughing so hard?" she asked, not meaning to let the anger slip past. But, the current situation was enough to make anyone angry.

She didn't want to be stuck back in time, messing up what already was a very fragile future. She didn't want to be married to Scott and she didn't even want to know what happened with Logan and Jean as a result of her union with the leader of the X-men. She didn't want to be hurting all over, gagging on the most disgusting liquid she probably ever drank In her entire life and she didn't want to be staring at a mutant that technically shouldn't even know of her existence.

She just wanted to be back in her time, happy, with Logan.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, the smile fading from his face as he studied her expression. He rose from his seat, shrugging out of his jacket as he threw it over to her. She caught it easily, the anger fading to be replaced by more confusion.

"Why'd you give me this?" she asked, holding the large coat out in front of her. It occurred to her that it resembled Temponaut's jacket, but, what were the chances? A large, tan coat wasn't exactly rare and anyone can buy one.

Gambit didn't say anything, only made a point to stare at her before clearing his throat, looking up at the ceiling as she glanced down at herself.

She felt the blush stain her cheeks, already pulling the coat back to her chest as she tried to absorb the fact that she was almost naked.

Well, the silk nightgown covered something.

"I'll, uh, be right back." Gambit said, walking out of the room. A minute later, she heard his heavy footsteps as he went upstairs. She was left alone for the first time in the past. Not crowded by people drinking in a bar, or high school kids, or even the presence of the one man she'd thought she'd never see again.

She wondered why she went back to Gambit. Sure, she'd been freefalling through the air, but the last place she thought she would land would be in the past.

She should be a Rogue pancake on the side of the mansion right now.

Still, why Gambit?

She shrugged off the question, standing up as curiosity took over her. Opening the jacket, she slipped her arms through, laughing softly as the coat dwarfed her small size. She was taller than most girls, but Gambit probably still had about 5 inches on her, not to mention at least another 50 pounds of muscle.

She shrugged off that thought too. If worse came to worse, she could take him.

She began to walk around what she dubbed the living room, considering the fact that it was the room that had the couch, coffee table and a somewhat sad excuse for a TV. She looked at the walls, frowning at the stained walls and dirty floors.

She leaned, peering around the corner at what looked like the kitchen. She only raised an eyebrow at the dirty dishes piled in the sink, a pan on the stove that she guessed probably never saw any action.

Talk about a bachelor pad.

She turned towards a tall archway when she heard footsteps coming down, hugging the coat tighter around herself as she walked towards where she thought the staircase was.

Gambit looked up as he came down, a smile crossing his face as he looked at her.

Rogue was struck with the thought that Gambit was actually very cute. No, that as an understatement.

Gambit was freakin' hot.

His eyes were strange, but mesmerizing at the same time, keeping her attention even when it seemed like all she wanted to do was look away. His hair was a dark mahogany, parted on the side and long enough to fall past the sides of his head, but short enough to end at a small V in the back of his neck. She had the almost irresistible urge to run her hands through the soft pelt. He had almost 5 inches on her in height, and now that his jacket was off she could see the corded muscle, the red and blue armor showing off a six pack and much, _much _more.

He wasn't wearing the black band around his forehead, something she remembered him wearing earlier before.

It wasn't the only thing she wished he wasn't wearing.

She swallowed softly, trying not to openly stare but at the same time wishing she had enough time to keep staring.

She broke her gaze when Gambit let out a chuckle, throwing something in her direction. She caught it once more, the jacket around her falling slightly open as she did so.

She dismissed her thoughts, calling herself an idiot for thinking such things. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about Gambit in that way, especially since she came back to help Logan, the man she truly loved. She just needed to get out of Gambit place, fix the past and get back to her glorious future.

"You have this fascination with throwing things at me." She said dryly, shifting the soft cloth around in her arms as she tried to look at them.

"I just think it wouldn't be such a good idea to get too close to you." Gambit replied back just as dryly. She ignored the blatant stab at her mutation, instead choosing to keep her attention on what Gambit had thrown her way. She raised her eyebrow at the clothes, confused as to why there were some of the…female variety thrown in the mix.

She raised the short skirt and long sleeved shirt to eye level, opting to leave the underwear and bra draped over her arm, whistling when she shifted her attention back to Gambit.

"Something I need to know about you?" She asked wondering why a bachelor had girl clothes in his house. Maybe a girl had left them at his place, but she wasn't buying the story since everything she saw in the house screamed that this man was single.

Gambit only sent her a very cynical look, rolling his eyes when she continued to smirk at the clothes she held in front of her.

"They actually belong to my w…sister." He corrected himself, deciding it would be a sticky situation if he brought up Bella Donna.

Rogue murmured an "mhm" before picking up the gloves that had dropped on the floor. She slipped them on her hands, laughing when her thumb, pointer and pinky fingers poked through. She raised the gloved hand in between the both of them, wiggling the bare fingers for effect.

"Sorry, they were the only pair I own." Gambit told her again dryly before clearing his throat. "You'd better go change…soon." He made it another point to look at her before turning around, his back to her. She glanced down at herself once more and this time rolled her eyes as she shrugged out of his jacket. She figured changing right there would save her some time and doubted Gambit would turn around and look at her.

Guys as cute as him never glanced her way anyway.

She dressed quickly, leaving the nightgown on the ground as she did so. She never wanted to see it again, especially since it was a grim reminder of a future that waited for her if she didn't change the past soon.

The long sleeved shirt was long enough to cover her arms, and the gloves did add more protection, but what she was worried about the most was the skirt. The skirt was shorter than she had thought and she was worried about the exposed skin and the consequences it could bring.

She tapped Gambit on the shoulder, telling him that he could turn around as she tried to tug the skirt down to cover her legs more. That left her mid-drift exposed and she let out a breath in exasperation.

Gambit turned and she saw his eyes widen for just a fraction of a second, his mouth dropping slightly. It only lasted for a short time before he composed himself and said with a grin, "you clean up nice, mon'ame."

"Yeah, right. I can't go out like this." She told him. He looked confused for a moment.

"If you're concerned that you look ugly, Mon'ame, than Remy can tell you right now you look just fine—"

"No, I can't out like this. I need to be covered up. Like, _covered_ up." She pointed at her legs and the exposed skin.

Gambit had no problem noticing her legs. God…did they go on for forever?

It only took him a moment to understand what she was trying to tell him.

He muttered a curse, telling her to wait one more moment. He disappeared back upstairs, leaving her standing alone in the foyer. It wasn't long, though, before he came bounding down the steps, a pair of silver and black boots in his hands and what looked like stockings.

"Here." He said simply, throwing them towards her once more.

"And who do these belong to?" she asked, more to herself than him.

He answered her anyways.

"Well, the boots are mine. An old pair I haven't been able to fit in since I was 14. The socks are my sister's." He didn't say anymore, just stood there looking at her expectantly.

She shrugged, pulling on the socks and boots. She was surprised to find they fit her perfectly. A little wide, but other than that, she would've thought that they were her own.

She glanced up at Gambit, surprised to find him eyeing her with an odd look.

"What?" she asked, picking up his coat from the floor.

He shook his head slightly.

"Nothing." He murmured, still silently commanding himself to take his eyes off of her, least she become freaked out by him. But, Gambit found it harder and harder to do with each passing second his eyes were on her.

She was…beautiful.

Her hair was a long, curled wave of dark chocolate, her body the same lanky build as he once thought in that dingy bar. The face was lean, eyes two pools of deep gold that seemed to hold the knowledge of a lifetime.

He blinked when he realized she had spoken, clearing his throat to try and cover the fact that he had been staring. "What?" he asked, convincing himself that his voice was almost nonchalant enough to feign disinterest.

"I asked, why'd you dress me up?" she repeated, ignoring the urge to let out a breath in exasperation.

"Well, other than the fact that Remy thought you wouldn't appreciate being half naked, you also kept talking about a 'mission' when you were out."

"A mission?"

He shrugged, reaching behind himself to pull out something from his back pocket. He brought it forward and Rogue watched the golden watch as it dangled in front of her eyes.

"You were clutching this when you said it." Gambit added, dropping the watching into her gloved hand.

"Well, that explains something." She muttered, clicking the watch open.

"I think you need to fix it. The hands don't move." Gambit told her, taking his jacket out of her other hand. He threw it around himself as he went to open the door, taking his eyes off of her for only a moment.

He turned to ask her what her mission was, already pulling out the small staff from the pocket of his jacket. He looked around, confused, when he saw nothing.

She was gone.

X

Everything in her body hurt. From her head to her toes, everything seemed to scream in agony. The only thing that didn't hurt was her butt, and considering that she just landed on it, that wasn't saying much.

She had landed in something confortable though.

She tried to open her eyes, but they felt as heavy as bricks. She heard beeping nearby her head and it wasn't long before it began to annoy her. She tried once again to open her eyes and let out a moan when the effort drained most of her remaining energy.

What the hell had happened?

All she remembered was talking to Gambit and opening back up the watch. From there, everything became hazy and distorted.

Oh goodness…

Did she travel back farther? But she hadn't even been thinking of anything when she opened the watch's face. She had just been making sure it hadn't broken in the fall and—

"Rogue?"

No.

No.

No.

It couldn't be.

"Rogue?"

There was no way in hell she was back to this already.

"Honey?"

She finally opened her eyes, finding strength from the shock and denial that reverberated through her body.

Scott sat next to her, eyeing her with such concern on his face, it scared her.

She turned her head, finally finding the source of the beeping, the sound increasing as her heart began to beat erratically.

She was still married to Scott Summers.

Damn.

* * *

THREE MONTHS?

OMGEEZERS! i am sincerely so sorry. I didn't even realize it had been that long! i did realize though that i can only focus on one story at a time (the case being i had 3 other stories open lol)

but no worries! it's spring break and i am back...i am just not sure for how long that's going to be. I promise i will try to get as many chapters up before i go back to school. PLus, i miss writing sooo much :[

R&R

Thanks guys!


	13. Take Two

She feigned amnesia.

It wasn't like it was a colossal lie because technically, she really didn't know anything to actually be able to forget anything.

It gave her an excuse to pretend she knew nothing of the past, including the events leading up to her marriage to Scott.

Scott.

She pretended she didn't know him either. Not because she didn't like him, but because if he had kept looking at her like she was his whole world, she would've blurted out the entire thing.

And then, they would've for sure have put her in the mental ward with doctors watching her twenty-four seven.

She was avoiding that at all costs.

She was still trying to wrap her mind around everything, and honestly, she couldn't come to believe it still.

Scott ended up going back to the mansion with the Professor eventually. Rogue had successfully reached Scott before he was fated to meet Jean. He hadn't listened to her warning. On the contrary, Scott had done exactly what any man would've done.

He went out with her.

After all, just because a random girl told him to not to date someone doesn't mean he'd actually listen. Especially If that random person came out from nowhere and disappeared into thin air the minute he turned his back on them. No, Scott had dated Jean and even lost his virginity to her, as he grudgingly admitted to Rogue with a groan. They had already been having trouble in their relationship, though, that fateful day they saved Logan and herself from Magneto's henchmen.

She wondered if things happened exactly as she remembered them that snowy day when she joined the X-men. There are memories that you forget and then there are memories that are burned into your brain like a tattoo.

That day was like a scar, because while some scenes faded, there was always that one remaining part that forever left a mark.

Scott had saved her.

Well, one of his most endearing qualities was to throw his life on the line for someone else and in her situation, there had been no question about risking his life. He said he had recognized her and in that moment everything had changed.

Damn it.

Scott broke up with Jean the next day, Rogue's warning from the past now more believable since he knew she existed. They dated a couple times before Scott found out about her mutation and its full effect. From then, he said with such a soft smile, he always wanted to protect her and show her that everyone deserved love. They were married in the back yard of the mansion and have been married for almost 5 years.

Which would put her at 23 or 24 and Scott a good 17 years older than her.

Since Logan's age was unknown, Rogue had never been able to figure out the age difference but she had always known it was much more than 17 years. Why did the age difference between Scott and herself seem to gross her out more than the possible age difference between Logan and herself?

Maybe because she actually loved the tall, rough-necked man?

So, the fairytale story of Rogue and Scott came to an end with her jumping out a window and hitting her head so hard on the floor that it knocked her out for days.

To say she didn't care about any of that seemed selfish, so instead she told herself that the only reason all of that stuff didn't matter was because she was curious about what happened with Logan and Jean.

Scott looked at her confused.

"You don't remember that either?" He asked, and she saw something in the expression on his face that scared her deep inside.

"What?" she asked, ignoring the way her voice cracked as she leaned over to grip Scott's arm.

"Rogue…they died."

X

The golden watch reflected the dull overhead light in the room. She shifted the small round body, changing the distorted image of her face every so often. She was alone, having asked Scott to leave the room with the excuse that she was tired. He had kissed her softly but quickly enough on the forehead that her power didn't take effect. She had felt a painful twist in her chest, knowing that this was only his future because she had changed one thing.

Knowing that this was only a fake future because she had intervened.

Still, knowing it didn't stop the tears or the pain of losing Logan. She had cried herself dry and now she sat in the empty room, clicking the watch open and close.

"You look like hell."

She turned the watch, catching Temponaut's reflection in the smooth surface before she looked up at the tall figure.

He looked the same way he always did, grey eyes watching her solemnly as he stepped forward.

"You didn't tell me I could kill people." She said, not giving him her usual greeting, instead choosing to head straight to the point. Temponaut shrugged, picking up a piece of uneaten food from the tray at the foot of her bed. He took a bite before grimacing, putting it back on the plate as he said, "Hospital food is still disgusting."

She ignored him, repeating her earlier claim.

"I didn't not tell you. I told you, be careful of what you changed in the past."

"You didn't tell me I could kill people!" She screamed, voice cracking as she came dangerously close to tears once more.

Temponaut's smile faded and the look in his eyes changed. He walked slowly over to her, stopping near her bed before bending slightly so his head hovered near hers.

"Don't ever think you can raise your voice to me, mutant." His whispered, voice dripping with venom. She turned to look at him and for a moment thought she saw something monstrous. She took a double-take, but when she looked again he had resumed his first position in standing and was now looking away from her.

"Besides," he began, "You can't _kill_ anyone, you just mess up the order of things and the world has to put it back in order."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, closing her eyes and shaking her head in exasperation.

Temponaut turned to look at her, this time with amusement in his grey eyes.

"Be careful. Don't try to figure out everything or you're going to go insane."

She slid him a look that could curdle milk.

"What I do, _we _do, messes with the cosmic order of things. So, someone has got to put it back."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Scott was supposed to be dead by now, that was his destiny. He was supposed to be killed by Jean after some freak accident where he went looking for her because he couldn't let her go. But, since he fell in love with you, the plan never went into action. The universe needs it two bodies."

She broke eye contact, trying to absorb what he was trying to say.

"Logan died…because someone needed to die?"

Temponaut nodded.

She glanced back down at the watch clutched in her hands, opening them to see the gold nestled inside.

She closed her eyes, already picturing the place where she wanted to go. She sucked in a breath before pushing the knob to open the watch, now used to the feeling of falling into nothing as she traveled.

X

She landed in the same spot she had before, the school in front of her a familiar scene. She shrugged off the landing, getting to her feet as she began her second walk up the same path. She made it to the crest of the hill, hiding a majority of her body behind the large tree, already hearing the jeers and shouts of the students as they surrounded Scott.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away when she heard the punches and kicks, moans and groans of her fallen comrade on the floor. Her stomach twisted painfully and she clenched her hands against her thighs, resisting the urge to intervene.

They finished quickly enough, 5 teenagers against one was always a quick fight. The bell from the high school rang, signaling the end of the current class period. The circle dispersed, the group dwindling as others left to go home or go back in. The 5 students stayed, calling Scott obscenities that she didn't even know existed. Scott stayed on the ground, ignoring them to the point where they eventually got bored and left with the other students.

They were the only ones left in the small field and Rogue had to swallow past the lump in her throat.

She looked at the watch, already wishing to go back to the future as she raised her thumb to push the button.

"Goddamit." She muttered when her finger trembled, her mind, and her conscious, not allowing her to go through with it all. If she was sending Scott to his future death, the least she could do was get him to the nurse now so that he could live to eventually die.

She muttered another curse before leaving her post from the tree, stalking over to the mutant still lying on the ground.

"You can stop pretending now, they're all gone." She said, waiting for a response. She watched as he shifted his body experimentally, testing limbs to make sure they were still working. She looked around her, locating his glasses on the floor a few feet away from the both of them. She walked over, picked them up and turned back towards the now-moving Scott.

"Here." She said, holding the glasses in front of him. He reached out, grabbing the glasses out of her hand with a mumbled "thanks."

"Don't mention it." She muttered, waiting for him to put the glasses on before she spoke.

"You need help getting to the nurse?"

"No, I am good." He said, brushing off the sand and dirt from his body as he turned to look at her for the first time. "Thanks." He mumbled once more before turning around to walk away.

He stumbled and she dived to catch him, leaning his tall frame against her own.

"Yeah, just great." She chided, taking most of his weight.

"I can get there myself." Scott said annoyed.

"Fine." She answered, releasing him.

She dived for him again when he fell forward, throwing his arm over her shoulder.

"Alright, genius, let's get moving." She said smugly when he let out a sigh.

X

"I honestly thought she wouldn't let you go." Rogue said thoughtfully an hour later as they were leaving the nurse's office. She slid a glance over to the quiet Scott, thankful he could support himself without needing her help.

"She said you were lucky, you know. A couple of more hits and you would've been dealt some serious damage."

Scott scoffed.

"The school wouldn't do anything if I got killed by those punks. They own half the school cause of their families and their money."

"Let's just try to focus on the bright side." She said sarcastically, turning the corner of a hallway as he followed.

"Which is?" he asked, following her. She turned back to look at him, walking at the same time as she said, "Well, you can walk, talk and move exterior limbs. You don't have a concussion and you're healthy."

He cracked a smirk, shaking his head slightly as they turned another corner.

"Right, anything else would be just too much of a blessing."

"Right—"

She stopped when she picked up a familiar smell with Logan's heightened senses. She stopped walking, prompting Scott to stop also.

"What-,"

"Sshh." She demanded quietly, sniffing the air as she tried to catch the smell one more. She looked around her, trying to place the odd but somewhat familiar scent. Blue lockers lined one side of the hallway while tall windows lined the other.

She sniffed again, grimacing as the smell became stronger. "I showered this morning, I swear." Scott said, trying to make her laugh.

"Scott, shut up!" she growled, taking one more sniff.

Her eyes widened when she finally recognized what she was smelling.

She turned, grabbing onto Scott's arm as she pulled him into a run.

"What the hell—"

"RUN!" She screamed.

She ran, dragging a slow and confused Scott behind her as she tried to get out of the building.

They had to get out. They had to get out. They had to freakin' get out before—

She skidded to a halt when she saw the black shadow at the end of the hallway.

"Found you." It muttered, stepping forward. The figure faltered when it saw her and Rogue knew he was as confused as Scott was. It stepped farther forward into the light and the face Rogue knew all too well was finally revealed. The tall figure in front of her was younger, hair shorter, eyes a clear blue that were now looking at her curiously, but she knew that smell anywhere.

She swallowed, tightening her grip on Scott as she began backing away.

"Hey, who is that?" Scott whispered and Rogue swallowed once more before answering.

"Sabertooth."

* * *

bahaha! back in it!


	14. Prisoner

She was a different person.

She told herself that over and over as she stared at the mutant in front of her. She wasn't a scared little girl anymore, trying to find her way in a world that rejected and even hated her kind. She wasn't a little girl who didn't know how to use her power or who depended on other to protect her.

But, even as she said it, she felt the dread curl deep within her belly. There was only one person she knew who could fight, let alone handle, Sabertooth and as of right now, that person wasn't there. The memories of that snowy day came back with such a vengeance that she almost shook from the power and fear they broke back with them.

The black eyes that looked at her then were so different from the blue she saw now, she almost believed they weren't the same person. But, when he spoke, it was the same chilling voice, the same heartless tone.

And he smelled the same.

"Sabertooth?" Scott asked, confused.

"That's his mutant name." she muttered, keeping her eyes on Sabertooth as she continued to back the two of them away. Her grip remained tight while a bemused smile began to form on Sabertooth's face.

"Did I catch you at a bad time, Scott?" Sabertooth asked, eying her like she was a piece of meat he wanted to devour.

"Hey man, every time is a bad time." Scott replied with a shaky laugh.

"Don't speak." Rogue commanded, using Logan's lingering abilities to sniff out the closest exit.

"Well, I must admit one of my bad habits is coming in at a bad time." Sabertooth said almost conversationally. Rogue ignored him, growling when she bumped up hard against Scott's chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked without turning around and rolled her eyes when Scott replied sarcastically, "I can't go through staircases."

"I guess now it's time that we get this over with." Sabertooth said, running a long, yellow nail against the lockers. The scrape against metal distracted her for a moment, and it was a moment she couldn't afford.

He jumped and Rogue let out a curse as she tugged Scott forward, breaking into another run. Sabertooth landed with a growl a few feet behind them, but she didn't glance behind her to see anything else.

"Pick up your feet!" she yelled, turning to pull Scott in front of her. He stumbled, brining both of them to the ground with a crash.

She heard Sabertooth chuckle and scrambled to her feet, throwing her body in front of Scott's as he laid on the ground. The large man stopped, eyeing her with such cold blue, she wanted to step back.

"Step back, human. That mutant is mine!" Sabertooth screamed, extending a long yellow finger in front of her face.

"I don't think so." She said as calmly as she could, trying to catch her breath.

"I am not going to let some human girlfriend get in my way!"

"You know what? I'm going to get you back for everything you're going to do to me in the future." She said threateningly, pointing her own finger forward. She touched the tip of his finger long enough to absorb the strength before she pulled back. Sabertooth blinked and she had to use all of her strength to stop his personality from taking over her own.

"Ready?" she asked.

"For what—"

He went flying when her arm came out, connecting with his sternum. He hit the lockers with a bone-crushing bang, knocked out for a couple of seconds. She turned, bending down to reach for Scott as she hauled him to his feet.

"RUN!" She shouted, pushing him as he stared at her, mouth agape. "RUN!" She repeated, grabbing his arm once more. His long, jean coat stopped her from absorbing him and she was thankful for that.

She heard a growl when they were yards away and she turned to see blue lockers flying across the hall. She stopped long enough to goggle, Scott in turn stopping with her.

"Get back here you little bitch!" Sabertooth yelled, his tall frame a dark contrast against the tan floors and walls of the school.

"Come on!" Scott yelled this time, reversing their grips as he gripped her bare arm.

"No!" she shouted, already knowing with dread that it was too late.

She felt the power behind her eyes, Scott's unconscious body dragging her down as the red beams flew out. She watched as it sliced the walls of the school, breaking the glass of the windows before landing on the ceiling, creating a huge skylight in the plaster.

She hit the floor hard, the back of her head connecting with the tile strong enough to send her head splintering. She closed her eyes for a moment, the pain so acute she could've puked from it.

"What an interesting mutant." She heard a voice murmur, opening her blurry eyes to see a tall figure standing over her. Sabertooth bent over her, watching her with curious eyes. Something cold hit her cheek, and she turned her head to see a pair of dog tags.

"Victor…Creed." She mumbled the name to herself before she closed her eyes once more.

She felt herself being lifting, not having enough energy to do anything but pass out with a sigh.

X

"Is she alive?"

"Who knows? She hasn't moved since he brought her here."

"What about the boy?"

"Woke up a while ago, and let me tell you, that Sabertooth did a number on him."

"What'd they put over his eyes?"

"I don't know, but poor kid can't see."

"Have they used him yet?"

"I don't know, Emma, they just got here."

"What kind of eyes and ears are you?" A woman with a melodic voice asked. It was an absurd thought of the voice reminded her of Jean's.

"What about her? Anyone know what she does?" Another voice asked, this time a young male.

"I don't know, but Stryker is mighty interested in her."

Her head hurt, and there was a headache brewing deep inside the left lobe. The noise they all were making wasn't making her headache lessen and it annoyed her that they were talking about her like she wasn't there. The mutants in the mansion had no respect for personal space, and not to mention privacy.

"Have they used her yet?"

"Emma, we don't know."

Who the hell was Emma? Maybe it was a new mutant the Professor was going to introduce to them later.

"Is she strong?"

Emma? Hell, how was she supposed to know? She just wished they would all get out of her room and leave her alone.

"I didn't hear much—"

"Shocker there." Someone muttered.

"but, if Stryker is interested, she must be."

How come she didn't recognize any of the names?

She opened her heavy eyes, blinking to clear her vision when everything she saw was blurry. When she felt the hard floor instead of her comfortable bed and felt confusion cover her senses. She sat up too quick, letting out a groan as she lowered herself to the ground. She raised her head, cradling her head as she closed her eyes.

"Aw, man." She muttered, wishing the pain would go just go away.

"Hey, hey! She's awake!" someone yelled. There was more shuffling and she heard metals bars clinking.

Metals bars?

Her eyes shot open, widening when she fully took in her bearings.

This wasn't her room. The hard floor wasn't her bed. The dingy, black walls were not her own.

The memories came rushing back so quickly, she felt as if she had to hold her head so they wouldn't burst out of her skull.

"Scott!" she yelled, jumping to her feet as she slammed on the metals bars of her prison cell. She wrapped her hands around the bars, shaking them so hard she thought she would break the building. She continued to scream Scott's name, not noticing the other mutants that surrounded her.

"Scott? Scott! Give him back you son of a bitch!" she screamed, fear coating her veins. What the hell had she gotten them into?

"Scott!"

_Quiet!_

The command rang through her head loud enough to have her shutting her mouth in surprise.

The only person that had ever been able to do that before was the Professor.

She turned, hope rising as she looked around for the familiar man.

When she saw no one in the dark, her hope faltered, and then deflated when the voice spoke again and she realized that it was a woman's voice.

"That's better."

A glow began to grow from a distant corner of the room, spreading as the fire was fueled. She saw the face of the mutant holding the fire, not recognizing the mutant but being able to recognize the ability.

Another glow started and she turned towards that one, a woman's body taking shape using sparkling diamonds.

"Whoa, Emma, turn down the light." A mutant muttered from the dark.

She watched as various lights began to emerge, realizing that they were all different powers being used.

"Whoa." She muttered, hands sliding softly down the metal bars as she turned around and around. Soon, the entire room was lit enough for her to see the faces well.

They were all so…young.

The woman in diamonds released her mutation, the glow in the room dimming but not dying.

"Sorry about that. I hate getting into other people's minds but that was the only way I could think of getting your attention." The woman said, stepping as close as she could to Rogue before she was stopped by the metal.

Rogue couldn't speak, confused by not only the sheer number of mutants she saw, but also of where she was and why she was there.

"I can answer that." The woman said before letting out a curse, sending her an apologetic smile.

"sorry, telepathy is tricky." The woman said. Rogue shook her head, "I'm used to it, so, no worries."

She hadn't been lying. The Professor had invaded her head more than enough in the past…

Future?

Present?

She waved it away, not caring about verb tenses. It was miniscule compared to what she had to deal with right now.

"I'm Emma. Emma Frost. Resident telepath and shield." She said the last with a shaky laugh, trying to lighten the current situation. When rogue didn't smile, Emma let out a cough, her smile dropping.

"Yeah, well, anyways. You're in Canada."

"Canada?" She asked, thinking of the time when she had once wished to take a trip there. Well, this wasn't exactly what she had meant…

"Yeah, Canada. Or so we've been told, they could be lying to us about that too." A mutant from the corner of the room told her with a heavy voice.

"What is this?" She asked, waving her hand as she tried to encompass the whole room.

Because the light was dim, she didn't see much but saw enough to conclude they were all prisoners, each having their own cage of metal bars and each separated from the others.

"We call it 'Weapon X' prison. Not a catchy name, but it fits." Emma replied, shrugging slightly.

"Weapon X?" Rogue asked, confused

"Yeah, Weapon X. A sadistic government project headed by Stryker himself. Created to turn mutants into weapons, willingly and unwillingly." A voice murmured from the floor.

She recognized that voice.

Wait a minute, she _knew_ that voice.

"Scott?" Rogue asked, sinking to her knees as she tried to find him.

"In the flesh, so to speak anyways." He muttered and she heard clothes rustle as Scott moved around. His voice floated out from the darkness and with an almost relieved sigh, she noticed they were in the same cell.

"Scott." She said his name on another sigh of relief, running her hand along the floor as she tried to find him. Her hand hit his shoe and in the next second she felt arms wrap around her, tightening her in a hug so unfamiliar is shocked her.

"I thought you were dead." Scott murmured against her ear, and if she if had had enough energy to think about just how much emotion had been in that one phrase, she would've.

But, she didn't have enough energy to do anything other than return the hug.

"Told ya she was his girlfriend." One of the mutants snickered, and she turned to deny the statement.

She heard the click of a lock, the door down the hall making noise as everyone turned to look at it.

"Quick! Lights out everyone!" Emma whispered furiously and Rogue watched as the room was swamped in complete darkness.

"Emma-"Rogue began, confused.

_Shut up and pretend you're still knocked out!_

"hey, what's happening?" Scott asked.

"Sleep!" she said before pushing him away from her. He slid farther away than she had meant him to go, but she didn't dwell too much on that fact. Instead, she laid back down on her back and closed her eyes.

She heard the door creak open, the small window of bright light landing on her closed eyes. Boots clicked along the small hallway, coming to a stop right in front of her cell.

"She's still out?" a voice asked from the doorway.

"It looks like it sir."

"Damn. Fine, we'll get her another time. Stryker is not going to be happy with Creed." The voice at the door said gruffly. The boots clicked away from her cell, fading as it's owner continued out of the room. The door clicked shut, bathing all of them in darkness once more.

There was no sound from the other mutants for a moment. No one spoke, no one moved and Rogue wondered what they were waiting for. She opened her eyes, trying to find the small glow of light that would tell her they were safe. When she saw a faint red glow, she let out a sigh.

"Guys—"

"Knew it." A voice whispered from the dark.

The door swung back open and Rogue closed her eyes, blinded for a moment by the bright light.

"Bring her to Stryker!" a tall man in army boots demanded, pointing at her cell from the doorway.

"Shiiiiiit" she dragged the word out as she scrambled away from the metal bars, her back hitting hard against the cement wall. She let out a growl, hitting her thigh in frustration. She muttered a curse when she hit something hard in her pocket. Her eyes widened when she remembered about the watch.

She let out a whoop of joy, finally realizing that she could get herself out of this mess.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out the watch as she glanced up.

She felt guilt hit her when she saw the mutants around her yelling, struggling to get out.

She should stay and help them, but if she messed up anything else in the past, who knows what future she would have?

She ignored the guilt that began to build, squishing it instead with the intense joy she felt knowing her nightmare was almost over.

"Take me back!" she yelled, clicking open the watch.

She felt the surroundings shift around her, Scott's hand touching hers briefly before she disappeared.

* * *

two chapters FTW! Here's hoping for another one!

and thank you Demon Flame, Chamberlinofmusic and the rest of my fans (i hope u guys are fans .) for the constant reviews! i LOVE it when i read reviews of how the chapter (or story itself) made your day, or made you feel such emotions etc. As a wrtier, that's what i strive for ! Much love 3


	15. Logan Numero Uno

This wasn't what she imagined when she had said "back".

She wondered if the watch was broken, because the abandoned building she saw in front of her wasn't the mansion she was used to seeing every day of her life for the past year and a half.

She sat in the dreary front yard, looking at the broken windows fixed with rotting wooden boards, the once brown walls now mucked with scum and the once white Angelic statue now covered in overgrown weeds and ivy.

This definitely wasn't the Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngters.

But, she knew different. The sign, even though it had chipped and faded with age, had clearly stated that this was the Mansion.

And this was her future.

She got to her feet, ignoring the twisting in her stomach as she walked up to the front door. She reached a hand out, touching one of the many wooden boards blocking the entrance. She wrapped her fingers over the edge, ripping the boards away one by one until the door was free for her to open.

Rogue sucked in a breath, placing her hand over the doorknob before twisting it, the old door giving a creak as it swung open.

Oh, she had messed up big time.

She walked through the old skeleton of the grand mansion that once was there, afraid to touch anything least it fall and crumble beneath her hands.

The grand staircase was bare, the beautiful carpet that once covered it now gone and forgotten.

The kitchen, once a place of delicious food and tantalizing scents was now a gray and dark hole in the wall, void of any sense of feelings she once had when eating in there.

The living room, which once held laughing kids, a pool and hockey table, a TV big enough to wonder what it could possibly be used for and so much more, was now a dark and dusty memory of what used to be. She saw the hockey table covered with years and years of dust. The TV was gone and the pool table was broken in half.

"I am almost too curious as to what you changed now." An amused voice said from the darkened corner of the living room.

She turned, following his movements as Temponaut walked around the room, touching things lightly while wiping the dust off of his fingers.

"I must say, I never imagined this. Whatever you did kid, bravo." He clapped lightly, never taking his eyes off of her.

"What happened?" she asked, resisting the urge to stalk over to him and raise him by the lapels of this jacket. Instead, she clenched her fists at her sides, pinning Temponaut down with her golden gaze.

This time he shrugged, ignoring the death glare she insisted on giving him.

"Don't you dare act like you don't know. You said so yourself, you're given glimpses of what happened. What did I do this time?"

He picked up a dusty old photo frame, taking a glance at it before throwing it over to her.

She caught it easily, turning the tarnished frame around to look at the faded picture.

She saw the Professor in his wheelchair, Ororo at his side, Jean near his shoulder, Bobby at his other shoulder and Kitty on his other side. They were in his office, and while they were smiling, Rogue could see something wrong in the eyes of the Professor.

"Where's Scott? Logan? Me?" She asked, flipping the picture over and over. She broke off the back, pulling out the photo to check the date.

"Yeah…I was already in the mansion by then." She mumbled. She glanced back up at Temponaut to find him watching her with an interesting expression.

"What?" she asked, turning fully towards him.

"I am just wondering you haven't gone back to change any of this yet."

"Well, duh! I don't even know what I did wrong. How can I stop what I changed?" She asked him, rolling her golden eyes.

"You met Scott. That's the problem."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're never supposed to meet Scott. The only reason that he isn't in that picture, and neither are you and Logan, is because he met you. Think about it, Rogue. You literally disappeared into the middle of nowhere. Scott thought they had done something to you, so he fought them. They killed him minutes after you left. No Scott, then no rescue-on-a-snowy-day for you and Logan, _ergo_, no Rogue or Wolverine in the X-men."

She wrapped her mind slowly around what he was saying.

"So what am I supposed to do? Go back again and just let him get caught by Sabertooth?"

"Just do what you originally wanted to do. The moment you need to save Logan is before you meet Scott. You change that moment with Logan and everything following it will change too."

"Logan?" She asked, confused. It dawned on her a moment later that Logan, not Scott, had been the entire reason she went back in the first place. Odd that she would forget that…

"Well, can I go back now?" she asked, eyeing him.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly at her. "What are you talking about? You're always able to go back, as long as you have the watch."

"Well, didn't you say I had to give it a break for sometimes? It's draining to you, isn't it?"

He didn't answer right away, and she saw something pass through his eyes before he did.

"Don't worry about it, Kid. Just go back and make it right."

She nodded, ignoring whatever she had seen earlier and instead reached inside her pocket to pull out the watch.

"Bring me to Logan!"

X

She landed on her side, cursing the paved road that was now probably etched into her skin. She looked to her left and right, noticing small details that told her she was in an ally once more. She rolled, ignoring the pang of bruised body parts as she got to her feet. She brushed off her clothes, eyes widening when she noticed what she was wearing.

She never retained any of the clothes she came back with, but this time, she had the boots, skirts and shirt Gambit had leant her before.

That must mean…

The wall beside her made an odd sound, a sound odd enough to have her turning her head to stare at it. She cocked her head to the side, trying to catch the sound once more. When none came, she took a step closer to the wall, placing her hands on the cold brick as she leaned her ear against it.

The sound came once more and she had the oddest thought that it sounded like a tiny explosion.

She let out a scream when the wall a couple of yards away from her burst open, a body flying through before hitting the ground with a crunch. She scrambled away, hiding behind a smelly trashcan.

Dust flew in the air, but Rogue could still see a shadow as it rose shakily to its feet.

Wait a minute…she knew that hair…

"Logan?" she whispered right before she heard a click.

She looked further down the alley and her eyes widened even more when she recognized the man from her last encounter in the past.

Sabertooth was holding an odd silver vile in his hand, his eyes still that clear blue. She squinted, wondering if that was a body she saw under him, or just a figment of her imagination.

She stifled a gasp when she heard Logan's claws come out.

"Ooh, shiny." Sabertooth said with a grin. Logan said nothing, opting to keep quiet.

"Tell me Jimmy," Sabertooth began, "do you even know how to kill me?"

"Jimmy?" Rogue repeated silently to herself. She looked back up when Logan finally spoke.

"I am going to cut your goddamn head off, see if that works." Logan replied smoothly. Sabertooth smiled, showing two abnormally large canines, before both men took off running.

She covered her mouth as she watched the scene avidly, rooting silently for her fellow X-man.

"You're getting slow, old man." She heard Logan say with an amused tone. She laughed at the fact that he could still make jokes even in this situation.

Sabertooth let out a scream, running towards Logan was an outstretched hand. She closed her eyes when Logan's claws pierced skin, instead choosing to just listen to that part of the fight.

The next time she opened her eyes, Logan has Sabertooth up against a pipe, claws extended towards the throbbing pulse in his next.

Logan whispered something, but Rogue was too far away to hear it.

Instead, she heard the oddest sound, almost like a low whistle.

She had enough time to look up in the sky before she was thrown off her feet, landing hard on her side once more. She felt a small stab of pain in her side, but ignored it, instead scrambling to her feet to figure out what had happened.

The alley was now covered in trash and the two figures she had seen before were not there anymore. She looked around wildly, trying to find Logan's body. She saw a dark figure moving towards her and instantly recognized Sabertooth. She dived for the large, black trashcan, pushing her body against the dirty metal as she tried to hide herself.

Sabertooth passed her, continuing to look behind himself as he moved forward. He glanced over at the trashcan, and she knew he saw her when he stopped completely, turning his body towards her. There was a large crash and his broke eye contact, looking back behind him once more. He turned towards her again, looking back behind him before running away, leaving her alone.

She waited a heartbeat before she pushed herself to her feet, looking over the trashcan's edge as she tried to figure out once more what had happened.

She let out a curse when Logan hit the floor, the man above him holding a familiar pole. He tipped his hat back and Rogue got a good enough look at his face.

"Gambit?" she shouted, moving from her hiding spot behind the trashcan into full view of both men.

Gambit looked up, saw her and she watched as confusion crossed his mouth. His mouth moved, and she knew from experience that he had said, "Cherie?"

Logan took the chance and kicked Gambit's feet out from under him.

Gambit fell, catching himself with his pole in time to avoid hitting the ground. He jumped back up, ignoring her as he began to fight Logan. Logan landed a good punch on Gambit, sending the man sprawling onto the ground. Gambit hit it hard but retaliated with a small bomb that came from his hand. It hit Logan square in the chest and he fell back, scrambling to his feet faster than Gambit thought.

"No! Hey! Leave him alone!" she shouted to no one in particular, running towards the two men. Logan turned and she skidded to a halt, captivated by the man she loved.

That ended soon enough though when Logan growled at her, turning his back on Gambit and instead ran over to her.

"Logan…? Logan?" She shouted, ducking when his extended claws came at her. She heard the metal scrape along the wall and turned in time to drop to the ground, legs coming up to catch Logan's stomach as he came running towards her. She kicked, sending him flying to the other side of the alley with a strength she didn't even knew she had.

She turned her head to watch him, flipping on her stomach to that she could get her legs back under her faster. She watched as he landed in a pile of boxes, knowing from experience that a kick to the stomach rarely ever stopped Logan.

He'd kicked her ass enough times in the Danger Room.

She ran over, picking up a confused Gambit by the jacket and dragging him to his feet.

She shook the taller man, bringing the red eyes to her face as she shouted, "What'd you do to him?"

"What?"

"Why is he after you?" she shouted, letting out an exasperated sigh when she heard the boxes making noise. She dropped Gambit, instead turning towards the Wolverine as he jumped out.

"Logan! Logan! Listen to meeeeee!" her last word ended in a squeal when he came running back towards her and she had to jump to the side to avoid him. She saw Gambit raise his pole out of the corner of her eyes. "NO!" she shouted, raising her hand to stop his attack on Logan.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

"He's going to kill us!" Gambit said, making a very convincing argument as Logan turned back around.

"Logan! Logan, listen to me! I am the good guy!" she screamed, dodging another blow.

"How do you know my name? Did Victor send you?" Logan asked, circling her when she came to a complete stop.

"Who the heck is Victor?" she asked, genuinely confused. She let out a yelp when Logan lunged for her, claws extended. She spun, completing a full circle till she was behind him. Logan was always faster and he proved it by turning a 180 in less time than it took her to breathe.

"Stryker then?" Logan asked, swinging a hand out, continuing the movement every time he missed her.

"Stryker?" she asked, jumping back with each swipe. "Listen. To. Me. I. Am. A. Good. Guy!" she screamed the last part when he came dangerously close to her stomach.

"Don't try and fool me! I know what's going on!" Logan yelled, kicking her feet out. She fell on her butt painfully, rolling away when she saw the 3 metal claws come down. She scrambled to her feet, turning her back on Logan as she tried to find her nearest wall. She ran, knowing Logan was chasing her.

"I've been wanting to do this for forever." She said with a smile, jumping onto the wall when she reached it. She pushed off, flipping through the air before landing behind a very confused Logan. Her hand reached out, back hand catching the side of his head as she knocked him out with so much force, it scared her.

His unconscious body hit the ground with a thud and for the first time in the most terrifying minutes of her life, she was able to catch her breath. She held her cramped side, holding it as she bent over, taking in greedy gulps of air.

She heard footsteps and turned her head to side to see Gambit watching her strangely.

"And where the hell were you while I was getting my ass kicked?" she asked, stretching out an arm towards Logan.

"Hey, don't look at me! 'Don't you dare touch him!' were your exact words if I remember correctly!" Gambit retaliated, giving her a look.

She let out an aggravated sigh.

"Useless." She muttered, standing straight back up to stare at him. "I'm flipping through the air, getting kicked to the ground and you don't even think about throwing a rock or something?" she asked, motioning everything she went through with her hands.

Gambit raised his hands, palms outstretched, and said with sarcasm, "Remy just like to listen to girls, that's all."

She dismissed his smart comment with a wave of both hands before placing them on her hips, looking down at Logan.

"What now?" she muttered to herself, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully.

She let out smile when an idea came to her. She turned, smile widening when she saw Gambit was still there.

"what?" he asked suspiciously, thrown off by the smile on her face.

She raised her eyebrows quickly, looking down at Logan before looking back up at Gambit.

It only took him a minute to figure out what she had planned, and it only took him another minute to say, "No! No way!"

"Come on, Gambit!" she pleaded.

He shook his head, beginning to walk away from her as he continued to deny her request.

"No, I am not, NOT, putting that guy up in my house."

* * *

i was trying to make the last part a little funny interlude between them, and i am not entirely sure if i nailed it...

anywayyyss, thanks everyone for the reviews! And please, please, even if you're reading this 20 years from now, i would love a review about what you thought or how you felt! I feel so rejuvinated when i get reviews :D

finals are in two weeks (wahhhh!) which means i am not sure how much more i am going to get done. rest assured tho that school is done by the 23rd, so the weekend after Easter i should be (if i am not already) back at it. Much love!

R&R :D


	16. Just A Dream?

"I can't believe I am putting this guy up in my house." Remy muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to quell the headache that was forming. He ignored the sounds of grunting as Rouge adjusted the heavy mutant onto his couch, instead choosing to close his eyes and pretend it wasn't happening.

"Believe it!" She shouted merrily, giving one last push as she settled the large mutant onto the couch. She had thought Logan was much heavier and figured she'd used much more energy and time to move him, but for some odd reason, Logan was almost as light as her.

She shrugged that off, thinking it was the adrenaline of finally finding him that gave her the extra strength.

She stepped back, placing her hands on her hips as she cocked her head to the side. It was odd that Logan was still knocked out cold, especially since she didn't think she had hit him that hard.

She heard Gambit muttering behind her and turned to stare, raising an eyebrow when she saw the tall mutant looking almost exasperated.

"…Belladonna is going to kill me…"

"You can just tell her he's a friend crashing over for the night." Rogue said amicably, smiling when Gambit looked up with a confused stare.

"What?"

"Belladonna. I assume she is this infamous sister. You can just tell her Logan is a friend crashing over for the night." She repeated, smile broadening as she turned back towards Logan.

"Ah, right." Remy murmured, closing his eyes again as the headache worsened with the thought of his estranged wife.

"What exactly do you plan on doing with this guy?" Remy asked, his voice slightly nasally because of the pinching.

Rogue opened her mouth to answer, but slowly shut it when she realized that she herself didn't know what she was going to do now.

She never honestly or realistically thought she would find Logan in the past. Now she that had, she didn't know what she was supposed to do to help him, or what she was supposed to do to change the future back to the way it was, minus Logan's pain.

She let out a breath, ruffling her white bangs in the process as she tried to think.

"You don't have a plan, do you?"

She hesitated before answering.

"Not right at this moment, no."

Gambit made a sound between a snarl and a groan, turning away from her as he began muttering again.

"hey, I'll think of something!" she shouted almost petulantly, all but sniffling as she turned back towards Logan.

"I'll think of something." She repeated, chewing her bottom lip as she thought.

She was in big, big trouble. No, trouble was the wrong word. Trouble made it sound like she had done something wrong, when in fact she had finally done something right. She had found Logan and now she was going to stop whatever was going to happen that made him lose his memory.

She had done something right!

….

Right?

"Oh, Temponaut, now would be a good time for you to do one of your impromptu visits." She muttered, letting out a sigh.

"what?" Gambit asked from the other side of the room.

She turned to see him watching her with an odd look.

"What?" she asked, turning slightly away from Logan to face Gambit.

His red eyes flickered from her face to her hips, the blotch of red drawing his attention quickly.

"You're bleeding." Gambit said simply, striding over to her.

"What?" she repeated, confused as she turned her head down towards her side.

"Oh, I guess so." She murmured before her legs gave out, eyes rolling to the back of her head.

Gambit dived, catching her easily around the waist as he landed on the floor of his house.

He looked around after a quiet moment, noting the unconscious Logan and the now unconscious Rogue.

He let out a sigh.

"Yeah, now would be a great time for Belladonna to come back."

X

She felt him even before she saw him. It was odd to see him in the past, but then again, it was odd to see him period.

Temponaut looked at her solemnly, neither grinning nor frowning. He was more…contemplative.

She didn't take her eyes off of him as she waited for what he had to say, refusing to be swayed by the dark, gray depths.

When there was nothing but silence, she broke eye contact. She began to pace the old place around her, distracted enough not to notice what was around her.

Now was not the time to be here talking to Temponaut! She had more important things to do then stand there and talk to a man who didn't technically exist! She finally had Logan and she needed to-

"I didn't expect to see you so soon." He told her, cutting off her thoughts as he watched her pace. He waited patiently, knowing the importance of time, for her to realize it.

It had taken him a moment to notice it himself.

Temponaut was nothing if not patient.

"Yeah, well, feeling is mutual." She muttered, stopping as she came to an old picture on the desk. She picked it up, wiping off the layers of dust as she took a look at it.

She dropped the picture quickly, glass shattering as the frame hit the floor.

The Professor face smiled up at her, Ororo by his side. But, they were the only two in the picture.

And the picture was smeared with blood.

She backed up slowly from the broken glass, almost losing her footing as she tripped over something. She stumbled, falling hard on her butt as she came face to face with the black, lifeless eyes of the Professor's head.

His lonely head.

She let out a scream, scrambling away from the dismembered body as she tried to forget the terrible image. Her hand touched something warm and sticky and with wide, terrified eyes, she turned to see one of the older students laying in the pool of blood.

She swallowed back the bile that was threatening to spill out from her throat, instead choosing to look around her at what she had missed before.

There were so many bodies.

And so much blood.

The mansion, still grand in all its former glory, was now smothered in red. There was red on the walls, red on the floors and every space in between. Bodies were strewn every which way, some with all of their body parts and others without them.

She swallowed again, shakily trying to get back to her feet.

A hand wrapped around her arm and jerked her up, bringing her pale face to his own stone-hard one.

"All I want to know," Temponaut started, "was what you did."

She fought to pass words through her lips, but found herself shaking so hard her teeth chattered together instead. Temponaut wrapped his hand around her other arm and shook her slightly.

"Focus Goddamit. What did you do!"

"I didn't do anything! I only did what you told me to do!" she shouted defensively and was disgusted by how her voice shook from the fear.

"I told you to change nothing! Only to do what you originally set out to do!"

"I found Logan and I took him! That's what I was originally going to do! I did nothing wrong!"

"Look around you, Rogue! You did something wrong!" he shouted back, shaking her harder this time. Her neck cracked softly from the force of his hands, her teeth biting down on her tongue painfully.

He dropped her abruptly, forcing his long fingers through his hair as she fought to gain control over her emotions.

"I don't understand. What happened?" she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to ignore the grisly scene around her.

After a moment she stared back up at him.

"How did you get me here? I didn't even use the watch."

"Don't worry about that right now. All you need to worry about is the fact that this is the future you're going to go back to if you don't change something!" Temponaut chastised, running his hand through his hair once more.

She nodded, still trying to calm herself down.

It didn't last long.

She heard a scream from somewhere upstairs, a scream so full of fear that it rooted her to the ground.

"Temponaut?" she muttered, finding his presence a small comfort. She turned, trying to find him in the large room and with a start realized he was gone. She felt her stomach drop, fear coating every inch of her body when she concluded she was the only one in the room.

Oh, no.

She heard another scream before it cut itself off, a gurgling taking its place before she heard a thump as something hit the floor.

Something that was very close to her.

She told herself to move, she told herself to get her butt out of the room before something bad happened, but her mind and her muscles were not on the same page. She remained motionless, hoping whatever was going through the mansion wouldn't come back into the common room.

When the tall figure covered the doorway, she still stood still, her mind not registering the fact that whatever was killing everyone else was going to kill her too.

The light was fading and she could barely make out the face of the killer but, the gleaming swords in his hand glinted against the sinking sun.

Before she had time to even blink, the thing moved.

She finally moved, throwing her body to the side as she dodged the gleaming metal that headed straight for her.

She hit her side against a table, ignoring the pain as she scrambled to her feet.

Weren't dreams not supposed to hurt?

She swallowed the scream when he appeared right in front of her, smoke dissipating from his body as he lunged once more.

She bit back the groan of pain as she felt a pierce along her arm. Instead, she ran, throwing desks and chairs behind her as she tried to block the way.

Her eyes widened when he _poofed_ in front of her once more. Not giving herself time to think, she turned, opening one of the doors along the hallway as she dodged into the room.

She slammed the door close, turning her head quickly to find somewhere to hide. She dived for the closet, shutting that door seconds before she heard the _poof_. The closet door creaked slightly back open, leaving her a slit to see. She backed up slowly, only stopping when her back hit the wall softly. She held her breath, afraid that he might hear her breathing if he tried.

She watched, riveted as the shadow moved around the room. She wished she had more light, but knew better than to turn on the light in the closet.

She wished she could just wake up already. She kept telling herself this was a bad dream, that she would wake up eventually, but knew it was a lie because of her throbbing arm and side.

How had she gotten here without the watch?

She screamed with something wrapped its hand around her ankle, a weak voice asking for help.

Immediately she was flooded with the fear of small spaces, claustrophobia only outweighed slightly by the fear of death. Images of a childhood back in Africa assaulted her mind, something tingling deep within her body as a power seemed to settle there.

_Ororo._

The closet door flew open and the remaining light of the day slanted over the hideously deformed face.

Rogue let out another scream as the sword came down on her.

* * *

I gotta say guys, I love reading your reviews. It makes me laugh and it makes me want to keep writing! Some of your reviews are too funny for words, and I completely adore them!

I was wondering, though, who you guys picture for the characters. I do like to let my readers picture what they want and not tell them about who I picture, but I must admit my curiosity has gotten the best of me. All the characters, for me, still have the same actors except for one and that would be our dear Remy. I picture deep-voiced, hot$$ Jensen Ackles :D. Anyone picture anyone different.

Here's to the next chapter!

R&R!


	17. The Talk

"ROGUE!"

She felt the whisper of the blade before she was jerked awake, her eyes snapping open as the scene faded.

Instead, Gambit stood over her, red eyes filled with emotions that she couldn't even begin to fathom. He was gripping her shoulders and for the oddest reason, the first thing that came to her mind was that Gambit desperately needed a haircut. Even now, the brown, silky hair was curled over the collar of his shirt, the bangs passing the black band wrapped around his head.

He shook her one more time before calling her name again, this time a little louder than he had before.

She blinked, letting out a shudder as the dream continued to play in her mind. She let her eyelids drop slowly, keeping her eyes closed as she willed her beating heart to calm down.

It was just a dream. It had all been just a bad, bad dream. The chasing, the pain and the fear were all fake. None of it was real…

She let out a breath as she tried to collect her bearings.

Why had it felt so real? Weren't dreams supposed to not hurt? Weren't you supposed to wake up before anything bad happened? Weren't you supposed to wake up during the chase, when your heart felt like it was about to rip out of your chest?

She hadn't had the watch, so there was no way that she could've traveled to the future.

It had to have been a dream.

But…

Why had Temponaut been there? True, he usually only showed up in her dreams when she was sleeping, but if she remembered right, lately he had appeared outside of her dreams more than once.

And those experiences had felt as real as when he had been in her dreams.

So, maybe it had all been a dream…

She shook her head.

She was running her mind around in circles and all it was doing was giving her a headache.

She let out another breath.

"Rogue." Gambit said softly, prompting her to open her golden eyes.

"Yes?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Are you alright?"

She let out a short laugh, closing her eyes again as she brought her hand to her pounding forehead.

"Isn't that the question of the century?" she muttered, the scenes of the dream fading as she continued to keep her eyes closed.

She heard Gambit let out a sigh before she heard his clothes rustle as he moved.

She opened her eyes again and saw him watching her with a look.

"What?" she asked, grabbing the back of the couch as she struggled to sit up.

Gambit opened his mouth to speak, only to close it once more with a soft hum.

That damn skirt had slithered up those long legs of hers further and Gambit found it hard to get his mouth to function at the moment. She turned to face him and the loose, ripped shirt dropped slightly off her shoulder, baring a swell that fried almost every cell in his brain.

"Gambit?" Rogue asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

He seemed to shake his head, blinking a couple of times before letting out a quick laugh.

"Sorry," he started, "I have a bad habit of losing focus."

She nodded, knowing all too well what he meant.

She laid back slowly on the couch, letting out a soft and long sigh on the way down.

Gambit didn't speak, prompting a long silence that she found comforting. She heard the ticking of a small clock somewhere in the room, old parts of the house creaking as the wind outside beat against the old wooden frame.

"Do you wanna…talk about it?" Gambit asked a moment later.

She smiled softly. She found it amusing that while even though he had asked the question, he sounded almost scared to actually talk about.

Reluctant was probably the better word.

But, he had asked, which was much more than she gave him credit for.

She opened her eyes and turned her head towards him once more, the small smile still on her lips.

"Do you really want to?" she asked.

He let out a sheepish grin and shrugged.

"Remy'll listen if need be." He told her, settling himself in for what he thought might be a long journey.

She let out a short laugh before turning away from him to stare at the ceiling, making small patterns in her mind with the countless dots scattered among the wooden surface.

She gave both of them another moment of silence before she spoke.

"Have you ever thought you could fix something?"

"Remy can fix a lot of things."

She slid a look over to him before returning her gaze back to the ceiling.

"Seriously." she said simply, running her hand through her hair before letting out a heavy sigh.

She heard clothes rustle as Gambit moved closer to her before letting out a nosy shrug.

"I guess everyone thinks they can fix anything, otherwise, people would ask for help more often."

She nodded slowly before speaking.

"Yeah, but sometimes fixing something can make it worse, right? So if you asked for help, wouldn't it just amplify the mistake since more people are working for it?"

"well, it depends on what your idea of 'worse' is."

The dream played in fast-forward behind her eyes and in it, she saw the future that was waiting for her.

"If you could go back in time and change something, anything, would you?" she asked, a note of desperation in her voice.

She was tired of trying to figure it all out by herself. She needed someone else to know, someone who could understand what she was going through and could help her make better decisions. She couldn't find anyone in the future because, she had to face it, her future was gone. She had to find a person in the past who could help and Gambit was the only one she knew who didn't think she was a freak for being a mutant or wasn't trying to kill her.

She needed him to justify that what she was doing was right.

She needed someone to justify it.

"Whoa, I thought we were talking about fixing something?" Gambit asked her instead of answering her question.

"'Fixing' something and 'changing' something are synonymous-," She began.

"No, they're not." Gambit interrupted, a note of finality and seriousness she'd never heard in his voice.

She turned slowly to look at him, a line forming between her brows as she waited for him to explain.

"'Fixing' and 'changing' can be synonymous in some situations but when you put time in it, it's a dicey matter. Time is fragile, and it shouldn't be messed with. Anyone who thinks they can go back and change something and everything could be okay is either extremely stupid, or seriously messed up."

Rogue snapped her opened mouth shut, biting back the very words on her lips that would've branded her the very fool that Gambit was describing.

"You wouldn't do it?"

"Of course not. The past is called the past for a reason."

She sat up quickly, ignoring the way her world spun for a moment before settling.

"I gotta go." She said abruptly, standing up from the couch.

"Whoa." Gambit said softly, reaching for her as she stumbled a bit.

"I don't think you should get up so quickly-,"

"I gotta go." she repeated, shrugging off his hands as she began to walk around the house.

"Rogue-,"

"No, no, I forgot I had to do something and I am wasting time."

Time.

Damnit.

How the hell would Gambit even be able to understand what she was going through? No one but herself could ever understand! No one but herself would realize that what she was doing was for the greater good!

Why did she need Gambit's approval anyways? She was a grown woman and she was able to make her own decisions without questioning herself and her motives. Hell, she knew time was a dicey matter, but god forbid she try and help the man she loved!

What did Gambit know? He was some gambler she met in a shady bar that lived like a pig and talked like English was an entirely new language.

Why did he even matter?

He was a jerk that battled her friends and probably stole money to keep his place in what was probably a ghetto neighborhood that was probably holding a drug deal right outside the door right now.

And he was the guy that saved her in that shady bar from almost certain death.

He was the guy that clothed her after she came flying into his house in a nightgown.

He was the guy that even though he almost kicked Logan's ass, still put the Wolverine in his house afterwards.

He was her only friend in the past, and the only guy who hadn't tried to kill her or use her.

He was the first guy that, other than Logan, sent her heart pounding like she had just run a marathon.

Double damnit.

"This can't be happening right now." she muttered to herself, running both hands through her hair. She repeated the phrase, closing her eyes as she tired to take deep, slow breaths.

She was here for Logan and Logan only. She wasn't here to fall for some guy she barely knew-

Logan.

"Where's Logan?" she asked, opening her eyes as she turned to look for her comrade.

Gambit sucked in a breath, knowing that this moment had been coming.

"Now, Rogue, don't get angry-,"

"Angry?" she asked, turning to face Gambit. She stalked over to him, grabbing the lapels of his jacket as she lifted him off his feet, slamming him into the wall of his house with a strength she didn't even know she had.

"What happened?" she shouted, shaking the very confused and almost awed look off of Gambit's face as she waited for an answer.

"Well, your friend kinda..." he trailed off, prompting her to shake him once more.

"Kinda?"

"...escaped."

X

Logan was gone.

That's all that ran through her mind as she ran through the city.

Her one chance at fixing the past was gone.

Her entire mission was moot, the very thing that she was trying to save now gone and somewhere where even she didn't know.

And the worst part?

Logan had the watch.

It was stupid and looking back in retrospect, it was probably not her best move, but she had placed the watch in Logan's pocket, remembering she didn't want to lose it while they were moving his large body to the house.

And now he was gone.

"How could you let this happen?" She growled, leaving yet another bar in a huff.

"I am not his babysitter." Gambit growled right back, sending her the same look he had been sending her periodically for the last 3 hours.

"you knew finding him was important to me-," she started, turning randomly down a street as she began to imagine what could be happening to the man she loved right now.

What if he used the watch? What if he was hurt? She had knocked him out pretty hard, so what if he had a concussion? He was in no shape to be out there by himself-

"Hey, last I checked, he was _your_ responsibility." Gambit interrupted her thoughts. He stopped walking, prompting her to stop a little ways in front of him.

She turned to reply, a retort on her mouth but stopped when she noticed he wasn't looking at her or speaking to her anymore. Instead, he was looking at the ceiling of the building next to them, his red eyes bright in the dark night.

"Gambit-"

"Shh," he began, keeping his eyes on the ceiling as he took a step towards her, his hand reaching out.

She heard a noise to her left, much like the sound of heavy boots landing on the ground, a second before Gambit let out a curse, his hand wrapping around her bare wrist as he pulled her towards him.

_Damn._

She waited for the pull, the familiar wrenching feeling in her gut as her power began to work it's magic.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain and the agony she knew would come.

When she felt nothing, nothing but the small pressure of his grip, she opened her eyes in surprise, meeting Gambit's eyes in the dark alley.

"No way." she whispered, shocked by the fact that she was touching someone for the first time in almost a year.

Without any reprocussions.

None.

At.

All.

* * *

Sorry guys, i know it's been a while since i've updated but i did decide to take summer classes and didn't realize how swamped i would be with summer a, b and c work .

i'll try to keep updating as much as possible, but to my deep chagrin, i am not sure how much it would be :[

Thanks to everyone still reading! Much love!

R&R


	18. Kiss Me

It was impossible.

She turned her head, her gaze locked on Gambit's bare hand around her wrist.

It just wasn't possible.

But, there was no headache, no blinding sense of losing everything in her grasp and best of all, Gambit was still alive in front of her, far from passed out or dead.

Instead, he was looking at her with one of the oddest looks a man had ever given her. It wasn't like the amazement that etched her own face. It was more...accusatory. His grip tightened on her wrist and with a surprise shout of pain, she punched his upper arm.

She jerked away from him, snatching her wrist back as she rubbed the bruising skin.

She found herself back in his arms when something behind her exploded, trash and glass flying through the air towards them.

She ducked her head into his shoulders, wrapping her arms around him as his arms came to block her head and shoulders.

There wasn't enough time to dwell over the fact that Gambit could touch her.

Right now all she was worried about was the person behind her whose intent was solely to kill them.

She grabbed Gambit's hand, turning him around to follow her as she began to run away, watching as another super-charged card left his hand.

She didn't hesitate or duck this time when she heard the explosion, instead only running faster as she tugged at Gambit harder.

They cleared the alley, running out into the busy street as another explosion echoed behind them.

Some heads turned to follow their movements as screams echoed through the dirty street. Rogue turned to look behind her, seeing a shock of blonde hair before something bright came flying at her.

"RRREEEEMMMMYYYY!" She shouted, dragging him faster as she turned back around. She felt him tug on her hand, both of them stopping when Gambit dug his heels into the ground. She spun towards him, finding herself pressed against his chest as his arm wrapped behind her head. His other hand threw out a card, the two balls of energy colliding to explode with a deafening boom. She grabbed onto him tighter when both of them went flying, their legs tangling in the air before they landed hard a couple of yards away.

She heard Gambit let out a groan before his body sagged on top of hers. "Gambit? Gambit!" She shouted, grabbing his shoulders as she tried to shake him awake.

"Damn." She muttered when he remained motionless. She reached behind him, palpating the back of his head. When she came away with blood, she knew her situation just got worst. She heard someone scream before another ball came flying at her. Her shoulder sang as she rolled, dragging Gambit's body with her before she heard another boom. She scrambled to her feet, lifting his body with her as she stood.

"Come on Gambit, wake up, please." She pleaded with him, smacking his face softly as she tried to get him to open his red eyes. She grabbed his chin with her hand, shaking his head as she shouted his name.

"Remy, get your ass up-"

She let out a grunt when something slammed into her, causing her to lose her grip on the large man. His body fell to the ground as she flew back, someone landing on top of her. She saw the blonde hair again before a fist slid across her face, drawing blood. She took two more punches before she reached out her hand, grabbing hold of the blonde's fist before opening her eyes to look at her.

"Try that again, Bitch, and i'll kill you!" Rogue grunted, reaching up her own fist as she let the blonde taste her right hook. The blonde slid off from the pressure of the blow, giving Rogue a chance to turn and scramble to her feet. She walked quickly over to Remy, trying to wake him up once more.

When her attempts were futile, she brought her hand to her mouth, tugging off the right glove with her teeth.

"Come on. Come on. Come on." She muttered, wishing for the first time in her life that her powers would work. She brought her hand over to his face, closing her eyes tightly before she slapped it to his forehead.

For a moment, she felt nothing. Then slowly, very slowly, she began to fell the pull and the tug, the enormous amount of energy flowing into her body from his. She released him when she got what she need, praying that the memories and personalities would hold back just enough for her to be able to use the new power.

She bent over, reaching inside the pocket of Gambit's jacket as she looked for the cards she hoped he habitually wore. She'd be screwed if one of Gambit's powers was to actually create the car. She hadn't absorbed that power.

She let out a frenzied shout of joy when her hand closed around the deck, pulling it out as she fumbled with the cards.

"Okay, handle me now." She muttered, taking out a two of hearts. The card lit up when she concentrated and she turned with a triumphant smile when she heard the scream behind her.

She threw the small bomb, hoping that it landed near the mutant and not on her. Rogue didn't need a death from the past on her conscience.

The card slid across the floor before landing a few inches away from the mutant. The blonde looked up with a surprise look in her blue eyes before the card went off, sending her flying back farther than Rogue thought was possible with such a small blast.

Gambit let out a groan next to her and she turned towards him to grab his chin with her gloved hand. She dropped the cards as her right hand came around to grab the top of his head, opening his eyes with her fingers. She knew little about health but was sure Remy was suffering from a concussion.

And people weren't supposed to fall asleep with concussions.

"Okay, Remy, stay with me. Remy, Remy, look at me." She begged, slapping the side of his face as she tried to get him to focus.

"Wha.." he trailed off as his eyes began to roll to the back of his head, his body beginning to become limp once more.

"No, no, no!" Rogue shouted, shaking him as she tried to keep him concious.

She looked around, trying to find something that would keep him from falling to sleep and an early death.

When she saw nothing, she let out a repressed scream before she crushed her lips to his.

The first boy she had ever kissed had ended up in a coma for months. Since then, Rogue tried to avoid the small act of passion whenever possible. She was never the one to initiate the kiss, even when she was with Bobby. She considered sucking the very life of your boyfriend to be a bad side effect, and something not worth risking for such a short period of pleasure.

She didn't know why she did it now. Maybe she hoped that their earlier contact before would make a repeat performance or that maybe the contact would be quick enough not activate her mutation.

Maybe because she wanted to finally feel his lips.

Just because she was in love with Logan didn't mean she was immune to the powerful charms of the man below her. Hell, it wasn't like he wasn't bad looking either. Safe to say, Remy Lebeau was hot. He was charming, and for reasons that she never questioned nor understood, Gambit had always been there for her. Thinking back, Gambit was there almost every time she came back. He was there when she was getting beat up in the bar, he was there to house and clothe her when she was running away from Scott and even against his wills and better judgement, Gambit had brought Logan back to his place when she had asked him to.

She may not have known the man for very long, but she was sure she could trust him.

Something slipped into her mind as she continued to kiss him, the small memory tucked away quickly before she had much use for it.

Instead, she tried to coax Remy into consciousness with her lips, hoping the kiss would jar him out of the funk he was falling into.

She lifted her lips from his when she saw him open his eyes wearily from the corner of her own.

"Gambit-"

She was silenced when he reached up, placing his hand on the back of her head to draw her back to his lips.

Rogue never thought a kiss could be so...breath-stopping. His lips were soft but strong at the same time, commanding her lips to mold to his, to join his in a powerful melding of senses. She felt as if her very breath was lost in his, her very soul bared to the man beneath her as he continued to take.

She lost herself in the kiss soon enough, everything fading from around her as she focused on the kiss, the moment that felt like she had been waiting her entire life to experience.

X

She tasted like honey. Rich, sweet and pure honey.

He hadn't meant to kiss her for so long. He thought a kiss for saving his ass was suitable, especially since she had kissed him to keep him awake, but he never considered a kiss to be so...powerful. He'd kissed many women in his life, so why did this one make him forget all the others?

He heard her let out a soft moan from deep in her throat, the sound sending his already fragile nerves into haywire mode before he deepened the kiss. He coaxed her lips open, almost melting into her as he explored.

It was a moment later when her body sagged on top of his, her lips unresponsive to the kiss. Her body angled, falling to land on his chest as he struggled to sit up.

"Rogue?" Gambit yelled, the kiss still vibrating on his lips as he shook her. Something glistened in the overhead light from her shoulder, and with a curse Remy realized that she had passed out from blood loss. He grabbed her, placing her against his chest as he struggled to his feet. Hoping she wouldn't disappear on him this time, he took off running, heading back towards his place.

He didn't see the blonde that watch him with silver eyes, her fist clenching as she made a deal with the devil himself for revenge.

* * *

Hmm, short chapter but i think well worth posting :D So, I have made a deal of self-discipline with myself, hehe. I, right now, have 4 open stories, all of which I love and absolutely cannot wait to write. I will be updating each story once a week in the same order. Mondays will be dedicated to Both Sides of Time, a day I can post as many chapter as i want and as many ideas as possible. I feel as if i am cheating you guys if i don't post frequently :[

Hope you like the chapter! R&R


	19. Wife

"Hey Kid."

Rogue looked up, surprised to find Logan's brown eyes staring at her. He stood over her, staring at her with kind eyes as he took a seat next to her. She glanced around, disoriented about her location when she saw the ugly red seats of a train. Confusion lit the gold depths as she tried to recollect her jumbled thoughts and memories.

"I'm sorry about last night," Logan said with a sigh, his voice penetrating through her thoughts, and with a start she realized she'd been looking past him.

"Me too." she said, but didn't recognize the voice as her own. Had it always been that high? Why did her throat feel blocked, eye like sandpaper? Why had she answered automatically, even though she wasn't sure what he had meant by last night?

"You running again?" he asked, and something in his voice echoed regret and concern. Again, she answered without thinking, as if replaying a memory, "I heard the Professor was mad at me."

"Well, who told you that?"

"A boy at school."

Whoa.

Why did the moment seem so familiar? As if she had already experienced it?

"You think I should go back?" she asked.

He paused a moment before answering. "I think you should follow your instincts."

Like a movie, the next line came out quick and deliberate, not waiting for her mind to process it first. "The first boy I kissed, ended up in a coma for three weeks. I can still feel him inside my head, and it's the same with you." To her shock, she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, the liquid falling soundlessly from her eyes. She let out a small gasp, not being to hold the tears back as the pain in her chest became unbearable.

Logan reached out, grabbing her head as he drew her to his chest. She felt her heart stop and love bloom when he began trying to comfort her, telling her The Professor seems to genuinely want to help.

It was the single most important memory in her life and she promised herself she would never forget that comfort, that feeling that in a world where no one accepted her, someone finally did.

She glanced up at Logan's face, wanting to remember every detail of the moment.

But, what she saw wasn't Logan,

The grey eyes watched her softly as everything on the train seemed to slow down and stop, the moment paused in life as Logan's face shifted to Temponaut's.

Her mind scrambled once more, and confusion settled again as she tried to figure out what just happened.

"Rogue." Temponaut said simply and she lifted her head from his chest, trying to place his face.

"Who are you?" she asked, mind and voice of a child.

He reached out, grabbing a piece of her hair and brought it forward gently, letting it fall so the lights from the station caught on the white strands.

The memories assaulted her all at once, 2 years of moments in her life flashing before her eyes. She reached up to grip her head as the scene around her began to fade. When she looked up again, she was standing with Temponaut in a dark room.

It took her a moment to recognize her old room in the mansion, and a moment longer to realize that this didn't look like her room at all.

She turned in a small circle, not understanding what she was seeing.

"I don't understand what you did now." Temponaut said from beside her, and she turned to look at him.

"What are you talking about?" She asked and this time, the voice that came out was familiar, tinged with 2 years of maturity and experience.

Temponaut turned to shoot her a sideways look. He raised her arm, sweeping the room for emphasis.

"Recognize the room?" he asked.

She nodded softly, "It's mine—"

"Wrong. This room belongs to Shadowcat right now."

"Kitty?" she asked, confused.

No, that was all wrong. Kitty lived down the hall, in the room next to Piotr. She remembered that because all Kitty would complain about was how Piotr would wake her up every morning with the sounds of his weights clanking together as he worked out in his room.

This was her room, not Kitty's.

Temponaut nodded, answering her earlier question.

She shook her head, stepping forwards towards him as she denied it, "No, I live here—"

"You don't exist in this future, Rogue." He said simply, as if they were talking about the weather instead of her future.

"I don't…exist?"

"You died."

She took a step back in shock, and fell to the floor when her knees gave out.

"I don't exist?" She whispered quietly.

He crouched to rest beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder to grab her attention and draw her eyes back up to his. When he saw he had gotten her attention, he pointed to a newspaper on the desk. Her eyes followed his outstretched arm but she made no move to get up, instead rooted to the ground.

He let out a soft sigh of exasperation but standing up, walking over to the desk himself and picking up the paper. He crossed the room over to her, dropping the paper on the floor in front of her as he remained standing.

Her eyes followed the movement of the paper as it fell, reading the top line when it landed on the floor.

**MUTANT OUTBREAK AT ELLIS ISLAND: WORLD POWERS DEAD **

Her mind flashed to the time in the tower, Magneto raising her up as he used to for a diabolical plan.

Logan saving her.

Her hair fell forward as she read, the white reminding her of her close encounter with death.

"I was never saved." She said flatly, turning to look back up at him.

"That snowy day you so clearly remember? It doesn't exist. Magneto got to you before the X-men and used you."

She nodded, accepting the future that awaited her at that moment. Or her lack thereof of one.

"Go back and fix it Rogue. Or else the future you know, the future you hold so dear, is gone."

She stood on shaky legs and asked the question that was bugging her. "Why that memory? Why the train?"

His face remained impassive, cold grey eyes never breaking from her gold. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and said simply, "I want you to remember what you're fighting for. Now, wake up."

The world disappeared as he pushed her down, and for a moment, she freefell.

X

Everything hurt.

At first she tried to ignore the pain, but as she surfaced up further from unconsciousness the pain grew. Her shoulder was throbbing and she was pretty sure she had a concussion, not to mention various other body parts singing to grab her attention.

Her eyes opened slowly and even then, her vision was blurry and distorted. She blinked several times, trying to clear her eyes.

Confusion claimed her when she saw the plain ceiling of a house rather than the tall ceilings of the mansion. Her mind was slow to process the different scenes she had running through her memories.

She remembered Logan and she remembered Temponaut. But, why couldn't she remember what happened before?

When she heard shuffling on a nearby couch, she turned her head slowly and stared in awe.

She had never seen a naked man before. Granted, Remy wasn't entirely naked, only shirtless, but that was all she needed to see to understand that he had to body of a Greek God. She greedily drank him in with her eyes as he continued to sleep, her eyes roaming until they came to rest on his face.

Her eyes landed on his lips first and the memory of the kiss they shared came back with warmth, sending her nerves into haywire as it replayed over and over in her mind.

God could that man kiss.

But, with the memory of the kiss came the memories of the hours that surrounded it, and the memory of the blonde that had been set to kill both of them.

She got up painfully from her position on the couch and reached up to touch her throbbing shoulder. She realized with a start that her injury was bandaged and wrapped, but that her shirt had only been ripped at the shoulder. She shook her head in disbelief. Remy hadn't tried anything nor had he invaded her privacy even when she was unconscious.

She tried to stand but found her world spun and instead fell heavily back down on the couch. She reached out, grabbing onto anything nearby to regain her balance and felt her hand wrap around a small lamp. Immediately, a red glow surrounded it and she felt the power thrum beneath her hands.

She let out a curse, ignoring the pain in her body and head as she jolted up from the couch and ran to the door. She threw open the door, bulleting the lamp across the front lawn and slammed the door shut before she heard the small _boom_.

"Crisis averted." She murmured softly, grateful that she didn't blow up Remy's living room. It was only a moment later when she realized she had moved too fast.

She hit the ground hard, her legs giving out earlier blood loss and her head reeling from her current concussion. She closed her eyes as pain wracked her body, praying that this would pass so she could get up and walk back to the couch and just pass out.

She didn't hear him get up, nor his shout when he called her name, but suddenly he was beside her, bending to pick her up from the floor. She tried to ignore the way that she fit perfectly in his arms, or that suddenly her heart wasn't sure whether to stop or speed up around him. She let her head rest against his chest as he muttered curses about her not being more careful.

He muttered more obscenities in a language she didn't understand, laying her down on the couch before he sat back on his heels. She turned to face him, the pain an echo in her body as she fought to stay awake.

"You, Cherie, are a handful." he said almost affectionately, leaning back to sit on his butt instead of his heels.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She said shrewdly, raising her hand to rest it against her head. It was silent for another long moment before either of them spoke again.

"What happened?" she asked, and didn't break eye contact when he shrugged nonchalantly, feigning ignorance.

"You want to tell me that you just randomly get attacked by mutants every night?"

"Remy is not a likable guy."

"I doubt that." She said quickly, already moving to sit up.

"What, do you like me Cherie?" he asked with a laugh, turning to look away from her.

"Yeah."

She hadn't meant to say it, god knew she still hadn't admitted it to herself yet, but it had just come out. She shut her mouth in horror when she saw him turn back around to stare at her, his eyes wide. If there was ever any moment that she wished a black hole would come and swallow her up, now would be the time.

She closed her eyes in mortification and cursed her 18 years of life. Never had she slipped up and told anyone her feelings for them. Granted, she only ever liked 3 guys but 1 always saw her as a kid sister and the other two had made the moves first.

She wasn't sure why she had admitted it, maybe it was because Gambit was based solely in the past and she would never see him again once she saved Logan, but she knew she was half-hoping he would say the same thing back.

But, she knew by the look in his eyes that it wasn't going to be the case.

"Cherie…"

"You don't have to say anything. It came out accidentally." She said quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment and end the conversation with as much pride intact as possible. She moved to get off the couch, to get away from him and be anywhere else but there at that moment.

"No, it's not that I don't feel something back," he began, raising a hand to reach for her's, stopping her movement and pushing her gently back onto the couch. Against her better judgment, her heart lifted.

"So you feel the same?"

He didn't answer right away, but after a tense moment nodded softly, "but—"

He was cut off when there was a loud banging on the door, followed by a scream that could only be comparable to a banshee.

Both turned to look at the front door, and Remy had a second to curse before the door flew off its hinges, hitting the end of the small hallway with a loud bang.

Rogue watched as a figured in silver walked in, death in her silver eyes as she turned to look at both of them.

"Isn't this a cozy scene?" the blonde asked, stepping into the living room. Gambit was on his feet in a heartbeat, already reaching for the small metal pole on the table between them. He blocked Rogue, pressing something on the stick and Rogue watched with fascination as it extended to 5 times its length.

"Get out of here." Gambit growled, reaching for his back pocket where he kept his playing cards.

"Now, now, now. Is that any way to speak to your wife, Remy?"


End file.
